The Evolution of This Business
by Instant Classic Superstar Pac
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!
1. First Signs

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 1_**  
_Title: First Signs_  
Show: Monday Night Raw (12/26/2005)  
Summary: After crushing the Big Show's hand with a sledgehammer, Triple H reviews the progress of his ex-team.

"Hey, Big Show. What the hell makes you think you can beat me? As far as I'm concerned, you're just a really… tall… guy." Triple H said, arousing a factory of jeers from the crowd. The Cerebral Assassin was about to sign a contract to face the Big Nasty Bastard Big Show in thirteen days at the first major wrestling pay-per-view event of the year 2006, New Year's Revolution 2006, and once again, the main event was a Heavyweight Championship Elimination Chamber match. The only problem is; last time, he won the whole thing, even going through Batista and Randy Orton, two young now former friends and foes, of Trips himself and of one another, who he knew all too well. This time, he got screwed out of the chance by a big 500-pound freak who has been hacking him about Ric Flair and Survivor Series 2005 for over a month. And the Game is ready for a big shot at payback. But first, to execute. He was about to sign the contract in the ring to face Big Show at Revolution 06, before he went on a rant, which he continues… now.

"Take, for example, the NBA. I mean, they've got a lot of really big and tall guys there, your height. 7'1, 7'2, you know the deal. But take each and every one of them, there still isn't any of those big floor cleaners whose ass I couldn't kick. See, Big Show. You're an oversized basketball player. The only reason… these people pay to see you… is because you're a freak."

That comment infuriated Big Show and all of his fans. The Big Show couldn't take more of this, and took his microphone to make a reply.

"Triple H, you need to be careful who you talk to and how you talk to them," Show began. "Look around you. Look at your team. There's no Kliq. There's no DX. And, as I'm sure you already know, there's not an Evolution to be mentioned around here, much less to kiss your ass. You have no backup. You're all alone. And even though I said your time will come at New Year's Revolution. If you keep talking, Trips, then this 500-pound freak will have no problem making your time come now."

Triple H seemed to be taken aback a little bit by Big Show's comments and the ecstatic populace's response, though the latter had about 1 as much to do with it as the former. But he never lost his cool, and the two elite figures stared each other down face to face. Trips held his microphone up and said he didn't need any luck against "fat boy", who he then poked in the face right above the eye with his pen. He then flipped the table and took the sledgehammer stuck under it. Big Show put up a fight, but when Triple H and Big Show were both on the outside, on opposite sides of the steel steps, Trips took his famed sledgehammer and destroyed the chokeslamming hand of the Big Show by crushing it between hammer and steps, then walked back up the ramp like the confident satanic warrior he is as the Angry Giant grimaced in pain.

After the show, Trips stayed dressed to go to the club, because he was going to catch some friends around town. It was around that time that he decided to think about his former Evolution teammates. Where Evolution left off last year, Batista was starting to come into his own, Ric Flair was getting back his stride, and Randy Orton was beating the Chris Benoits of the world to become the youngest Heavyweight Champion in wrestling history, a record that could be threatened by Chris Masters. But enough about that. Now that the group is done, Triple H is not even widely considered the best member of Evolution anymore. Randy Orton and Batista, the younger former Evolution best friends, are now on Smackdown. Randy had the temerity to RKO his own girlfriend Stacy Keibler on a Raw about nine months ago, leading up to his Wrestlemania-started year-long rivalry with the Undertaker. He had held his own for months before Hell in a Cell came around, and Undertaker still had a hell of a difficult time getting by the now liberated Legend Killer.

And ever since Batista had beaten Triple H at WrestleMania 21, Backlash, and then Vengeance - Hell in a Cell - he ended up going on to Smackdown to defend his World Title against Smackdown superstars such as JBL and Randy (whenever he wasn't dealing with the Dead Man). He is still the Heavyweight Champion to this day, even though he now has to contend with Melina, her three boys, and her new sexual assault charges. Ric Flair, thanks to Triple H's betrayal, now had a fire lit under his ass. The two had two consecutive matches at PPV events following Trips' return from Hell in a Cell. They swapped the series, but the more important match, the Last Man Standing match at Survivor Series 2005, was won by the Game. Ric Flair ended up going home to recover, and apparently to get arrested for road rage and dumped from his affiliation with the Carolina Panthers. Yet he's the one defending the Intercontinental Championship against the guy who keeps dissing him about it all in Edge, who has made all four of them (as well as mostly everyone else) sick, and Triple H is the one stuck without gold and with a giant freakazoid staring him down and standing in his way.

"I've just about had enough of this," he decided finally, upon pondering this issue. Then something hit him. What was he going to do again before Evolution disbanded? Oh, yeah. It just came to him. "I'm done letting these people run around, do whatever they want, and think they're going to be the kings of the world. I have to get back to what worked for everyone in it in the first place. It's time for a takeover. I'm gonna go talk to Ric Flair."

That statement being said, the Cerebral Assassin made his way out of the room to look for his former friend the Nature Boy.


	2. Clean Slate

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 2_**  
_Title: Clean Slate_  
Show: Monday Night Raw (12/26/2005)  
Summary: Triple H approaches Ric Flair and tries to reconcile with him to create the Evolution takeover scheme.

Ric Flair is out there trying to relax himself. He has been hot under the collar from the get-go of this night, when that disrespectful bastard son of a bitch Edge made that bad taping of him. What, just because Ric had one incident his lawyers have advised him not to talk about, Mr. "I Care About Me" thinks he can talk all sorts of smack about him? And what was that managerial decision by Vince McMahon, giving Edge a title shot for getting that beating started? This was not the best night for Ric Flair, and he cannot be seen by the ladies like this. Just as he may be starting to finally get a hold of himself, Flair heard a knock on the door.

"Come in," he says, in an irritated monotone. An annoyed groan came out when he saw who he was.

"If it isn't my old friend, Triple H," Ric said, acknowledging the fact of said visitor without the greatest of smiles on his face. "To what do I owe this?"

"Before I get to that, let me ask you one of the most important questions I've ever asked in my entire life," Trips began.

"What?" Ric asked. As far as he was concerned, he wanted to just get this over with.

"Can I trust you to listen to what I have to say, or are you gonna cut me off and say no thanks?"

"Just get to the point already! What do you want?"

"Easy, Ric. Cool your jets one sec here," Trips replied, trying to calm down the Nature Boy. "I want you to listen and listen carefully to what I have to say. Think about it with a level head and an eye for greatness. The reason I came here is because I want to talk to you about reuniting Evolution and establishing that takeover of the business we had always wanted to pull."

Ric looked at his former best friend crossly this time, on the verge of getting in his face.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to come be your lackey again, so that you can take over the wrestling business like the self pawn you are," Flair correctly guessed.

"Take a couple subserviant words you used out of there, and yeah, you're right," Trips answered.

"You're the one who made me and Batista turn our backs on Randy Orton after he made history at Summerslam 2004 against Chris Benoit for Evolution's greatest moment, all because you wanted to be the Champion yourself. You're the one, not me, you, who stopped showing due support to Batista after he started becoming a better Animal. Because of that, not only did he turn his back on us, but he beat you for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 21, and in two consecutive pay-per-view rematches!" an irate Nache shot. Triple H had to keep his composure and stop himself from lashing out at Flair and ruining everything. Once he did, the Nature Boy continued. "And when you came back from the latter of those losses, you turned your back on me after I called you my best friend! The man who picked me up after I came back a broken man! And for what? For the simple fact that I'm growing old. And you're telling me that you want Evolution to come back together to take over the business."

"Yes, Ric Flair. That's what I'm telling you. I want to restart the Evolution of this business, and I want to restart the Evolution of this business now!" Trips spat strongly. "Now, are we going to get something done here, or have I come simply so you could continue to piss me off?"

"You tell me," Flair answered.

"Okay. I will tell you. The fact still remains that I am the best wrestler alive today. Last time the Elimination Chamber match was done, there were two things about it; it was at New Year's Revolution, and **I won**. Yet, as you see, I'm excluded from the match this time. Why? Because Vince McMahon didn't have the mind enough to keep Big Show out of ringside even after that big freak started constanly getting in my way!" stated the younger of the two decorated elite performers. He was beginning to seethe and perspire in anger.

"Your fault, Game. You screwed Big Show that night first," Flair pointed out.

"That was as a message to stay out of my way! Then, he comes up and decides that he's gonna get in and cost me my match against Kane. That big demon may be the first man out despite the fact that Carlito faced a girl, but without Big Show making his insert, they're not even on the pay-per-view!" Trips continued.

"What do you think I can do about it? They hate you!" Flair said, restating the obvious so as for the Game to think about it.

"Look. I know you've got a problem with Edge over your little road rage incident. All you have to do is keep your Intercontinental Championship just one more time on your own, and then, we've got the takeover inset," Trips said, changing the subject to bring forth his point.

"Why do you care?"

"Let's see here. I've got the big freak after me, and Money in the Shank is constantly trying to embarrass you, so as far as I'm concerned, we've both got a reason to get back to Evolution. We wouldn't be dealing with this crap if we were still a unit. Get it?"

"You know what? Fine. Since you're never gonna leave me alone," Flair said, finally succumbing to Triple H's persuasion. "So, Mr. HHH, what in the living hell are we gonna do to pull this ons off?"

"Why are you even asking? We've gotta persuade them. I know for a fact Randy would rather listen to me, and Batista would rather listen to you. But we gotta bring them together, with the two of us, and with everyone else. When we finally get that done, we formulate the takeover plan."

"Okay. Sounds good," Flair said dryly.

"'Sounds good?'" Trips repeated in a shocked tone, as if it was a crime. "'Sounds good?' Where's the old Nature Boy I know? If you were yourself by any stretch of the imagination, Ric, you would not be saying 'sounds good' like it didn't matter. You'd be all over it! This is why you need Evolution. Ever since it ended, your life has been broken down. You lose a Last Man Standing match, I call you a has-been, you beat someone up on the streets and Edge picks on you about it for a million years. Yes, I know that you and I disagreed sometimes in Evolution. All four of us have. And I know for a fact we all had our problems with Edge. But did this ever happen to you before, what's going on now?"

"You're right, Triple H. You've got a good point. But listen to me! I am not kissing your ass this time!" Flair immediately shot. He wanted the Game to realize that things were going to be different for Evolution this run.

"I know that! We're all too elite for it!" Trips responded. "There's not going to be a decided leader. We're all in this together, and there's no front and center this time. We're all going to have championship gold around our waists by the time this whole thing is victim to Evolution's takeover."

"Now you're startin' to talk my language," Flair said, smirking a little, before thinking about something and saying it now. "If we're gonna do this, you'd better leave my locker room. Anybody coulda walked in and uncovered the whole plot."

"Yes, but we've got a deal?" Trips asked for insurance as he opened the door to leave Ric's room. The words that came from the Nature Boy made him smile in confidence that soon, all their problems were going to be behind them. Those words that came out of Ric Flair's mouth are as follows;

"We got a deal."


	3. Reuniting the Four Who Are One

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 3_**  
_Title: Reuniting the Four Who Are One_  
Show: Friday Night Smackdown (12/30/2005)  
Summary: Randy Orton and Batista experience new problems on Smackdown, and end up meeting one another and two old friends.

Randy Orton is ready to leave the arena and thinking about the events that took place tonight. He knew Booker T could not wrestle Chris Benoit and continue the United States Championship best of seven series thanks to his groin injury. But Randy, moping about the Undertaker kicking his ass and causing the exit of his father via injury, could not bring himself to help Booker and replace him, before the glory of finishing 2005 by winning a Championship, even if not for himself, was mentioned by the 5-time WCW Champion. Of course, Randy accepted. He came into the match against Chris Benoit knowing that all he had to do was beat Benoit, and Booker was the US Champ. He almost got the job done, then he ended up in the Crippler Crossface. He would gotten out of it all right, but that damn idiot Sharmell had to panic and hit Benoit with her husband's crutch! Thanks to that came a disqualification. He's gonna talk to Booker about his wife's interference soon. Then, he suddenly stopped. He saw someone he didn't ever think he would catch sight of on Smackdown, even after the show when it didn't matter.

"Triple H. What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, almost as if demanding to know.

"C'mon. Follow me."

At the same time, Batista has just been caught deep into a situation. Two weeks ago, before Armageddon, the World Heavyweight Champion, along with fellow Eddie friend Rey Mysterio, had a match against MNM for the WWE Tag Team Championships. Melina came into his room and tried to seduce him out of it, but she made one critical mistake. She didn't just advertise her services. She partially gave herself to him. That was a mistake in the form that he didn't have anything to really seek from that experience, so he rejected her deal and considered the intimate moments a warmup. Came match time, in dedication to an old friend named Guerrero, Dave and Rey won the Titles and prepared themselves for Armageddon, against Raw's World Tag Champs, Kane and Big Show. It didn't exactly work out for them at Armageddon, but little did Dave know, the story would get worse for him.

Melina, who felt crushed because she gave herself to him and it didn't work out for her, obviously became delusional and felt as it she had been raped over the past two weeks, and the rumors that kept on flying around for the entire duration must have had something to do with it, because she came out with her attorney, complaining and crying, even revealing that she'd done all the paperwork to sue the Animal for sexual harrassment! Then came the World Tag Team Championship match. The ref was accidentally knocked out as Batista was about to get Joey Mercury in a front powerslam, but nobody could prepare for what happened next. It became apparent that Melina had at least acquired the services of Mark Henry, the World's Strongest Man, who arrived and screwed Batista by hitting him with a military press into a falling slam. You know that could be called the World's Strongest Slam, because it led to Batista losing the titles to the team he and Rey had taken them from just three weeks ago. Melina looked like she was happy and smiling when she raised his hand. For some reason, this doesn't look like just a business arrangement. Mark Henry was once known as Sexual Chocolate. Combine that and Melina's sudden glee, and you pretty much get the idea that this is about more than Melina's grudge against the Leviathan.

"Dave! Hurry up man!" a voice said from outside the door, interrupting the thoughts of the champion. Batista recognized that it was Rey Mysterio and told Rey that he was coming soon. Then, his cellular phone rang. He opened it and pressed the "talk" button.

"Hello?" he said into the phone. Then, he heard a familiar voice call his name. "Ric?"

"Yeah, it's me," answered the man on the other side.

"Look, I've seen what's been going on with you, and Triple H, and Big Show, and Edge. But look. I've got bigger things to worry about," Batista said.

"You're right. We have got bigger problems to worry about," Flair replied.

"What, Melina's charges? No way. That's just a bunch of hogwash," Batista answered. "I'll be able to take care of that easy."

"Meet me in the back of the arena. And make sure you come by yourself. We don't need any outside presences in this," Flair instructed him.

"What the hell is this?" Batista said in a semi-demanding tone.

"Consider it reuniting the four who are one," was all he heard in his one-second quest for answers on this. This was a semi-complicated phrase, but Batista immediately understood it. He looked up to the sky and blew out a large breath, knowing that he's basically in for a long night.

"Alright, Ric. I'll be right there, but only because it's you that talked to me about it," he finally decided. "Catch you in a couple minutes. Bye."

He then hung up, and prepared to meet with a familiar force of three.


	4. The Day of Reckoning Has Arrived

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 4_**  
_Title: The Day of Reckoning Has Arrived_  
Show: Friday Night Smackdown (12/30/2005)  
Summary: The four members of Evolution meet for the first time since late 2004, and the stage is set for the takeover.

Batista just got a phone call from Ric Flair telling him that it was time to reunite 'the four who are one'. As if things couldn't get any worse or weirder. First, Melina charges him for sexual harassment for some strange reason, then Mark Henry arrives and screws him out of the tag match, and now this. Batista is looking around for someone now, and he finds one of the workers.

"Hey, man. Have you seen Rey anywhere in the past five minutes?" Batista asked.

"No," the worker said.

"Thanks. Let me know if you see anything," Batista said as he left. He then went into another area and saw Matt Hardy.

"Batista, what's up?" Matt said, coming up to him and greeting him.

"Hey Mattt, how's it goin'?" Batista asked, just to humor the thought, although he knew life wasn't exactly giving Matt fair cards.

"You know, the same old deal. Edge and Lita screwed me, so now JBL's goin' around and talking about a 'waahmbulance', so he and I are ending up in a thousand matches against one another again. Ever since I've been back it seems like I've been dealing with members of old tag teams Jeff and I have kept facing," Matt explained.

"I believe you," Batista responded to that statement. "Hey, you and Rey are pretty cool, right? You seen him anywhere around?"

"No, I haven't. In fact. I've been looking for him myself," the elder of the Hardyz answered.

"Dave! Finally, man, you're ready to go. But wait a minute. Why don't you have your stuff?"

"Sorry, 619. But I'm not goin' anywhere yet," Batista apologized.

"Why not?" Mysterio asked.

"Right when I was getting my stuff, I got a phone call from Ric Flair," he revealed.

"No, you're kidding," Rey stated in shock.

"I know. I know, man. I know what you mean," Batista repeated three times before finally telling the next part. "But what else is, he's here, and he wants me to meet him in the back of the arena. Now, I don't know if you know what this means, but he says it's about 'reuniting the four who are one'."

"Batista, don't you dare go over there," Matt Hardy cut in, knowing all too well what this meant. Batista simply looked at him, but Matt couldn't tell exactly what the emotion was that he should have been able to see in the bigger man's eyes. That is, if there even was one.

"Go on, man," Mysterio suddenly said, surprising the Animal and the Sensei of Mattitude. They had looks on their faces that basically asked the question, "What the hell did you just say?" Matt then had the guts to verbally ask that question.

"I don't like it any more than either of you do, but I think it's for the best, man. I wanna challenge for the Tag Team Titles again next week, but Mark and Melina now got cards against you big time, mi amigo. And that's considering it might be all a lie," Rey continued.

"What do you mean, might be? It is a lie," Batista stated, somewhat countering the 'maybe' in his Mexican masked friend's statement. But his tone was more matter-of-fact than defensive. "I didn't do anything."

"I believe you," Matt spoke in backing of the World Champion. "After what happened to me with Lita, I've learned not to trust women like that. But don't you have to go see Ric and the four?"

"I am one of the four, and unfortunately, yes," Batista replied. "See you guys later. Take care, alright guys?"

"Sure," Matt said. As Batista walked off, Matt and Rey looked at each other, then at him.

"Think they come together?" Mysterio asked his friend.

"I don't know," Hardy answered after a second.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot in the back, Ric Flair was standing outside a black stretch limousine with the windows tinted golden, wearing a rich and good-looking $3000 Armani suit. Basically, he looked like the Nature Boy that he truly is. He started muttering a little bit about how long did it take for Triple H to get someone back here and all that stuff, then he saw Trips, dressed as fashionably as himself, and with Randy Orton to boot.

"Took you long enough," Flair said as his two fellow ex-Evolutioners.

"Shut up," Trips countered. "Where's Batista?"

"He said he's on his way. What's wrong with you people? Can't you ever get here fast enough?" Flair asked, in somewhat comical shame. "Now I know why you all needed Evolution."

"Geez, Ric. Could you be any louder?" a voice called. The three saw Batista walking up towards them.

"Dave, man. What's goin' on?" Orton greeted his own former best friend.

"You know all well, Randy, so don't even bother asking. I've got some sexual harassment crap charges to get bombarded about, Mark Henry's back costing me tag titles, and now you guys have called me over here to try to put Evolution back together. Yeah, I'm having a blast," the World Heavyweight Champion said in a semi-complaining tone.

"Hey, I had nothing to do with this. It was all Ric and Triple H's idea," Randy immediately replied, body language included, so as to claim innocence.

"Randy Orton, last time we met in the ring, I kicked your ass," Hunter Hearst Helmsley quickly reminded his young ex-comrade before getting to the point. "Don't make me have to do it again, especially now that we've got bigger things to worry about. Now, let me get to the point here. All four of us are having problems with some jackass in the locker room. Edge and Lita are trying to make the legendary Nature Boy, Ric Flair, out to be a rageaholic sideshow over one street beatdown. Randy, you got your ass handed to you by the Undertaker, and now Booker T's gonna put you in his place for the United States Title series and not even do anything about keeping his wife from panicking and doing something stupid which costs you your chances. Melina and her boys have completely tried to kill you, Batista. Melina's gonna sue you for a case of sexual harassment which is as off as anything I've ever seen in my life, then she's gonna have Mark Henry come down and screw you with the World's Strongest Slam so her boys Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro can steal the Tag Team Titles from you and Rey Mysterio. And I know you two wanted to keep the belts in honor of a certain someone I know who's lyin', cheatin', and stealin' up there right now. Then, there's me. And there's Big Show. And that big overinflated basketball player has cost me my chance at an 11th WWE Championship. So as you can see, we've all got problems. Big time problems, that we wouldn't be in if we were still together in Evolution. Let's get back together, guys. Let's get back together, so that we can beat these problems and take over the wrestling business."

The others stood there, completely moved by Triple H's speech. It's as if he was their leader again, except if they were going to go through with it, they wouldn't like to be lackeys again.

"Just one question, Game," the Animal finally said.

"What? Shoot," Trips replied, giving the big monster of the team the floor.

"Am I gonna have to take any crap from you this time?" Batista asked solidly. Orton looked at him with a look on his face that said he agrees with him all the way.

"None at all," Trips stated matter-of-factly. "None at all. There's no leader. We're all in this together. So, what exactly is our move going to be?"

"Hunter, you and Randy are gonna need to get in the ring to win the WWE and NWA titles," Ric Flair pointed out. "Plus, things are gonna be different this time. We need to make a statement! And what better way to do that than to add a woman to the ranks this time?"

"Hey, as long as she's not easy, disagreeable, or likely to soften up the team, in any way, shape, or form," Orton said, "I'll take the chick."

"Get ready, gang. The day of reckoning has arrived! WWE and TNA better get ready to taken by storm, cause we're gonna run this business! Vince McMahon, Dixie Carter, and whoever the hell else runs these companies, is gonna be overrun. It's time at last for the Evolution takeover," Trips announced.

"To the greatest faction in wrestling history. To the Evolution of this business!" Flair toasted, despite having no champagne for the deed.

"To Evolution!" repeated his comrades. Triple H told them to split up now before anybody could see them. They did exactly so, Ric and the Game going into their own limousine, and the other two taking the roads they were going to take before being run into by their elder partners. Batista had a story to tell Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio, even though he wasn't going to tell it just yet.

_a/n: From this point on, I am going to deviate from what normally happened on Raw and Smackdown. I needed to set it up from the final week of 2005, because of that week's specific points._


	5. I Care About Me Gets Nothing After All

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 5_**  
_Title: I Care About Me Gets Nothing After All_   
Show: Monday Night Raw (1/2/2006)  
Summary: Ric Flair has to stand through being disrespected by Edge again, only to clinically have his way with the Rated R Superstar.

"You think you know me."

As Edge's music rang all over the area and his FMV was showing on the Titantron, some fans cheered, others jeered, and still others stood silent, awaiting the arrival of Mr. Money in the Bank and his redhead girlfriend, who was once known as the Queen of Extreme. Then, out walked Edge and Lita, dressed in street clothes. The small assortment of "yayes" came again as the next challenger for the Intercontinental Title made his way not to the ring, but to the end of the stage, where the Raw announcers' table rested. They didn't exactly get to the table, however, before Edge began to speak.

"Yeah. Over the past few weeks, I've been cuttin' a lot of flack about how can I disrespect a great legend like Ric Flair who basically paved the way for Superstars like myself to be able to do what we do? How could I be so uncaring about what I say in regards to someone who is guaranteed to be in the Hall of Fame at the end of his career, whether he retires or dies?" he asked. This was mainly repetition of said questions the fans have given him of late. He listened to the somewhat silent mixed reaction, before going on to answer the questions.

"The answer to that question is real simple. One, I'd still be the Rated R Superstar even if there wasn't a Ric Flair. Two, because everything I've been saying about Ric Flair is true."

He received immediate jeers for that comment, but then went on to continue.

"Hey, you guys used to all cheer for me, back when I was Mr. Nice Guy. But now that I'm doing what I want, saying what I want, and (looks at Lita for one second) getting what I want, (boo!) more than half of you have turned against me," he stated. "Let me explain something. While being Mr. 'Stand-up Better than Christian' Edge, I was getting Evolution setups, Intercontinental Championship screw jobs courtesy of Ric Flair among others, and the ability to say that I was married to an unknown named Lisa Ortiz and that I was letting some whiner job idiot who called himself my best friend have the woman I'd actually been wanting practically ever since I saw her back in 2000! In contrast, over the past fourteen months, and even further beyond that in secret, I've been carrying around a brand new persona called 'I Care About Me'. And I've gotta say, it's been working really good. I became a major piece to the World Heavyweight Championship picture for the first time doing 'I Care About Me'. I competed in the Elimination Chamber for the first time ever because of 'I Care About Me'. And around this time, we should know all about it. It was at last year's (wink wink) New Year's Revolution! I became Mr. Money in the Bank (taps his briefcase three times) because of 'I Care About Me'. I beat the toughest wrestler alive, Chris Benoit, in a Last Man Standing match at Backlash last year because of 'I Care About Me'. I won the Gold Rush Tournament to face Batista for his World Title because of 'I Care About Me'. Hey, even Christian Cage, even Christian, benefited from 'I Care About Me', because he and I finally teamed up a couple of times, including a victory over Benjamin and Jericho two weeks before my Money in the Bank victory at WrestleMania. (small cheers) But more importantly, (looks at Lita) I finally got my woman. And I finally got her from both her demonic 'husband' Kane, and from that weak son of a bitch Matt Hardy! (boo!) And last I recall, I won more matches than I lost against both guys. I won my last matches against both guys. Why? For two reasons and two reasons only, and the former is the byproduct of the latter just like everything else. I've got Lita, and I care about **me**! Oh, but uh, I just realized something. That's where Ric Flair and I somehow have something in common. You don't believe me? Well, you will after this. Take a look at this authentic footage of Ric Flair's road rage incident."

_A video on the Titantron which looked like a surveillance taping showed (Ric Flair) riding in his car, wearing one of his robes, singing an old country song that not many people care about these days. Then, he sees someone pass him at what seems to be street racing speed and begins to get angry._

"_How dare that sonofabitch cut me off in my town!" (Ric) shouted from within his car. Then, the speeder abruptly stopped on the side of the road, and (Ric) caught up to him, stopped in font of him, and came out of his car talking about teaching the kid a lesson. He walked over to the other car and opened its door. The driver had short hair and wore a "Rated R Superstar" shirt._

"_Hey, who are you?" he asked._

"_You wanna know who I am? I'm the Nature Boy, Ric Flair!" (Ric) said, going on to "Whoo" in the other driver's face even through being asked what's the problem._

"_My problem, is I care about me. I'm the Nature Boy. I care about me. And who the hell, do you think you are, cuttin' me off, in my town! In my town!" (Ric) said, going berserk._

"_I'm sorry, Mr. Flair! What else can I say or do?" the driver asked in a pleading tone. Apparently he noticed the drunken tone to (Flair)'s voice and knew he was in some kind of trouble with the (Dirtiest Player in the Game)._

"_Step out of the car, right now," (Ric) commanded the man. "Step out of the car right now!"_

"_Okay, okay!" he finally succumbed, leaving the car as commanded. The (Nature Boy) then pinned the driver to the back left door of the car, where he chopped him a couple of times and even raked him in the eye. The man was screaming in agony and pain, begging (Flair) to stop, but when the (Nache) felt disrespected, he felt disrespected. During the whole thing, he kept on going "Whoo!" He even gave the kid a low blow and put him in the Figure Four leglock, "Whooing" through the victim's screams of pain even more. The kid screamed like hell, and (Flair) finally let go._

"_Whoo! I'm the Nature Boy! All I care about is me. Just ask Tully. Just ask Arn. Just ask Ole." he said before finally leaving. There it ended._

Back to Raw, with Edge and Lita at the stage, the fans cheered at the entertaining piece of footage.

"That's the kind of production that you've seen since I started caring about me. And that's also the kind of crap Ric Flair has been doing ever since Evolution melted down last year," Edge pointed out. Lita took her opportunity to say something.

"You see, whether it's with the unfortunate divorce with his wife, getting betrayed by his students and his closest friend, or beating up someone on the streets in his hometown, which is apparently the only win he can get, Ric Flair is now transformed from the great 16-time World Heavyweight Champion to an easily destructible shell of the man he used to be," she said, earning jeers and "slut" chants. "Oh, yeah. Boo me. Call me a slut. I really want to know what kind of impact that's supposed to have on me, because I'm not feeling it. Even back when you were all cheering me on, I always considered myself a rebel. Remember back in 2004, after Matt Hardy beat Kane at Vengeance, then Kane and I ended up both being guests on the Highlight Reel? When Kane tried to scare me, and then I told him I'm gonna do what I want when I want, and there's nothing he can do about it? You all were loving that moment. But then, when it finally referred to me getting together with Edge, look what happened to the world. Everyone started turning against me. But I didn't care. After all, I'm a rebel at heart, and Mr. 'I Care About Me' is the epitome of rebellion. While the Nature Boy continues to kiss ass, as he's done throughout the past four years." She then handed the microphone to her boyfriend through more of the boos and "slut" chants.

"Lita! Thank you! Finally, somebody understands. First, it was Stone Cold. Then it was the nWo. Like I'm supposed to be afraid of a bunch of has-beens. (boo!) Then, it was Triple H and Evolution. And now, it's the fans. And never once has being everyone's lackey gotten him back to where he could ever be the World Heavyweight Champion ever again! Meanwhile, I'm one of the mot successful people in this business, and you all swipe at me and Lita every time we walk by, just because Matt Hardy isn't around us! What do you want me to do? Humiliate myself by trying to show up on Smackdown, getting everyone on my case, and finally reaching Matt Hardy, so I can apologize to him and give Lita back to the bumble head? (yeah!) Let me take a line from my past by saying that's how a man portrays stinktatude! (boo!) See, you can hate me. You can turn your back on all the Edge memorabilia you ever got. You can destroy me ten thousand times in video games. But just like Eleanor Roosevelt once said, 'Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent'. I don't feel inferior, because the way I see it, if you hate me and Lita now, you were never an Edgehead to begin with. (boo.) I'm not being Mr. Nice Guy just so you can like me. Remember: I care about me! And Ric Flair cares about himself, but not as much as he cares about everything else. That's why I'm going to beat him for the Intercontinental Title, so it can finally leave that pathetic idiot. He is the world's greatest lackey now, and his life is down the drain. Meanwhile, look at me and Lita. We're on top of the world. Ric, I'm ready to rescue the Intercontinental Championship from your pathetic, kiss-ass life!"

"Whoo!" a voice suddenly was heard. Edge and Lita looked over at the ring where it came from and there was Ric Flair smiling and laughing and in one of his trademark rich suits. He then took off the coat and strutted around a little bit. He was alive tonight, and so was this crowd. The couple were stunned almost instantly as the fans went into a frenzy.

"Hey, Edge! Lita! I hear you talking about how everybody hates you, and everyone's against you because you care about yourself, and you're the most superior Superstar in the WWE anyway," the real Nature Boy finally began. "So maybe you got in an Elimination Chamber, stole someone's girlfriend away from them, and screwed a man who called you his best friend out of his love life, and three months of his career. So what? If you really think you have the crown to this business, then you have got to be kidding me! I may have gone through some tough times lately, and I may not have made myself the center of attention, but I am a 16-time World Heavyweight Champion! And while I was, as you say, kissing Triple H's ass, I was _this close_ (demonstrates by putting thumb and index finger barely apart) to become the Champion for the 17th time! Oh, and since you've made a couple references to your old friends Matt Hardy and Christian, I've got something for ya. A little poll for the people, if you will. Here's the way it works, Edge. I'm going to ask these people whether they think that you, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, or Christian Cage is the greatest wrestler to come out of the Hardy Boyz' tag team rivalry with Edge and Christian."

"Okay. I know for a fact I'm the best, so shoot," Edge said.

"If you think Matt Hardy is the greatest member, give me a 'V1-ahhh!'" Flair shouted out. Many of the fans shouted in accord to the statement.

"If you think Christian Cage is the greatest member, give me a 'Christian Rules!'" the Nature Boy continued. A high part of the crowd was once again in agreement with Ric Flair.

"Okay. So Matt Hardy and Christian Cage have their supporters. What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Edge asked.

"If you think Jeff Hardy is the greatest member, give me an 'Xtreme!'" Ric then beckoned to the crowd. This time, a lesser portion of the audience cheered their butts off with the reaction of 'Xtreme!'.

"And if you think Edge is not only the greatest member of the Attitude tag team rivalry, but also the awesomest wrestler in WWE history, then give me an 'Over the Edge!'" Edge immediately cut in. The 'Over the Edge' response was the one least given. 85 of the crowd was booing Mr. Money in the Bank. And Ric Flair was right there, standing in the middle of the squared circle, going ha-ha-ha. Edge was completely embarrassed, and he couldn't take much more of it. He immediately got to the ramp and ran down into the ring to confront Ric Flair. The two ended up in a fist fight, which Flair got the better advantage of, much to the people's joy. He eventually was able irishwhip Edge, who held on to the ropes and got out of the ring as his girlfriend hopped on Ric Flair in an attempt to choke him out. All the Nache really had to do was back up into the ropes to force her to let go, then attack Lita with the Figure Four in front of her embarrassed boyfriend. Coach was busy calling this a disrespectful assault which was completely uncalled for, while Joey Styles and Jerry Lawler were talking more about the fact that Edge was such a big man for not going in there and rescuing his woman. The fans were cheering and laughing at the so-called "Artist of Awesomeness", who, as if he couldn't do anything more, shouted and ordered Ric Flair to let go. Right when he was finally about to go in, Edge found himself dragged down and his throat gripped by none other than Kane! Apparently, the monster was upset that Edge would mention the way he and Lita tricked the world again. Kane took Edge to the guardrail between ringside and the fans, then threw him over, making sure to warn the people to back away before doing so. It's not like anyone was going to body surf Edge. Kane then took the Walking Kiss of Death out from the Figure Four and threw her over the rail on top of Edge.

"Somebody make the count! She's pinning him!" Kane instructed the people, laughing. Ric Flair came down and also enjoyed himself as about five fans came down and counted the 1-2-3 for Lita's 'pinning' Edge. Ric Flair then got his microphone in the ring again.

"Hey, Edge! How can you be the greatest member of the Awesome vs. Extreme rivalry when you can't even escape being pinned by your own girlfriend!" the Dirtiest Player in the Game asked Edge as the Big Red Monster left with a smile on his face. Payback at last. It was such a sweet thing. Anyway. "Last I recall, Lita never pinned Matt Hardy, she never pinned Jeff Hardy, and she never pinned Christian! And tonight, she just pinned you! You truly are the most pathetic failure alive today and the worst member of your dynasty! Which is why I, the Nature Boy, Ric Flair, who apparently is like you in the sense that he only cares about himself, will kick your ass and retain the Intercontinental Title. Whoo!"

Then, Ric Flair's Space Odyssey entrance music finally came on as he went stylin' and profiliin' in the middle of the ring. He even gave an elbow to the suit coat! He eventually made his tired flop from laughing so much, but even then, he rolled out of the ring, and continued on smiling as he shook hands with some of the fans. Edge and Lita finally got up, and went to the back through the stands.

Triple H was watching and grinning as this was happening. Looking at Ric's retaliation to Edge's embarrassment, he knew for a fact that now the Nature Boy truly was back. This takeover business was going to be easier than he thought. He then walked out of the room. He had business to take care of.


	6. Things Need to Change

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 6_**  
_Title: Things Need to Change_  
Show: Monday Night Raw (1/2/2006)  
Summary: While lounging in his office, Vince McMahon finds himself faced with Triple H, who proposes two good ideas to the boss.

Mr. McMahon enjoyed himself from the comfort of his office. He was not interviewing people for the General Manager's position tonight, because he felt like there was no point in doing that at the moment. It was about a month since he fired that meaningless waste Eric Bischoff. That Eric was famous for one reason and one reason only; he used to take crap from everyone else and kiss more ass than we could all count. But now, Vince was running the show again. Now, he was front and center. Now, he was able to personally see to it that Raw management doesn't take crap from anyone, since after all, he _is_ Raw management for the while being. He got to see a very entertaining segment from Edge and Ric Flair, despite the fact that they just had to mention those other three guys that were involved in the rivalry, especially since two of them were part of TNA. But anyway, the fans seemed to react off it, and it was a great lead coming into their Intercontinental Championship match at New Year's Revolution. Not to mention coming out after Maria and Ashley's little problem with those three sly-spirited mean girls to name the bra & panties gauntlet match, along with everything else that already did and was about to go down tonight. Things were rolling fine. Suddenly, Vince's chilling was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in, and whoever it is, this better be good," Vince assured the person at the door, who then opened and entered his office. He then saw a man he knows all too well.

"Triple H," he acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"

"Hey, that was great what just happened out there with Ric Flair and Edge, right?" Trips asked in a bit of a cheerful laughing tone.

"Uh, yeah," Vince tentatively agreed. "But hey, you're the one who used to be his best friend. You should know well enough. Why are you asking me?"

"Vince, seriously. Did you see the look on Edge's face when Ric cut into that? And that entire scene was hilarious. He's talking about how he cares about himself and how he's on top of the world, and then yeah, he certainly proved it, at least the first part," Trips continued, still laughing. "Say, that reminds me. I got a couple of really great ideas. You do know about those two Diva matches you've got up your sleeve, right?"

"Yeah, you're talking about the bra & panties gauntlet match, and the Women's Championship match between Trish and Mickie, right?" Vince asked to make sure.

"Yeah," Trips said as his nods confirmed it. "I got a really good idea with that match. You see, I ran into a really hot woman the other day. Trust me, she's one of the most attractive things you've ever seen. Plus, I noticed something real good when I tried to come onto her. I was so unprepared for fighting she almost kicked my ass."

"Really?" Vince asked, his eyebrows lifting.

"Yeah. I was almost literally pinned by a woman," Trips joked half-wittingly.

"So let me get this straight; a chick catches you by surprise, and you think she's good enough for the big time. You think she's worth being here in the WWE," Vince summed it up.

"Yeah, I do. In fact, I'm sure of it. I think she should be a part of this company," Triple H continued, stubborn in his defense of this mystery woman. "However, she did have a stipulation."

"Yes?" Vince asked.

"She wants you to unify the gauntlet match with the Women's Title match, and put her in it" Trips revealed.

"Why should I do that for someone I don't even know?" Vince demanded. "I have no idea who this woman is, and she isn't even a part of this company. Yet she is making stipulations to me. No. I'm not doing it."

"You don't want TNA to make a big steal, do ya?" he asked. Vince immediately scowled at the thought of Total Nonstop Action making a noticeable coup, especially when it comes to hot women who can fight. So, he considered the mystery girl's offer a bit further before finally agreeing to it.

"Alright. I think we can work something out. Now, what the hell is in it for you?"

"Nothing at all," Trips answered, much to Vince's surprise, until the continuation. "Of course, that's putting aside the fact that I just found you a new WWE diva, and I feel that you should do something for me in return."

"And that would be…"

"My match with Big Show at the Revolution pay-per-view? Destroy that match, and put me in Carlito's place in the Elimination Chamber," Triple H said, with a more stern tone to it.

"Ah, so there was something in it for you after all. Well, I'll tell you what. Thank you for bringing me my new Diva. You may introduce her at New Year's Revolution. Good luck against Big Show. Have a nice day," Vince said, apparently trying to brush off the Cerebral Assassin.

"Wait a minute. I got you a new Diva. I won last year's Elimination Chamber match. I am the 10-time World Heavyweight Champion who basically led you to overtaking and destroying WCW. If it wasn't for my DX raid, Eric Bischoff would be ruling Monday nights. Also, putting me in that Elimination Chamber match is so much more worthwhile than placing me in the ring with an overinflated basketball player whose shooting hand is numb. I would absolutely destroy him in there. It's a no chance deal. And you mean to tell me everything I've done here does not merit a spot in this Elimination Chamber match?" Trips asked incredulously.

"No. I'm telling you that you had your chance to be in the Elimination Chamber already, but you screwed it up by toying around with the Big Show and giving him a reason to screw you. Now you two are in a match against each other. Go out there and deal with it. Thank you very much. Have a nice day," Vince stated with a bold tone. Back at the arena, fanatic reactions were at a high. "I told these people tonight that I'm not taking crap from anyone. And I absolutely meant that! Now, please! Get out of my office!"

"You know what, Vince? Things need to change around here. Such as me not getting my due credit for busting my ass off for this company. And I guarantee you one thing. Soon, things are gonna change," Trips promised the chairman of the board as he began to walk out of the room.

"Do you want to be put with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels on my 'You're screwed' list?" Vince immediately asked the Game, stopping him in his tracks. The two then looked at each other intensely, before Triple H finally left without any words. But no sooner did he get out of Mr. McMahon's room than Triple H was met by the Big Show.

"So, what were you doing in Vince McMahon's office, Triple H?" Big Show asked. "Trying to slink your way out of that match with me?"

"Why would I need to slink out of a match with you, other than the fact that I could instead be inside the Elimination Chamber?" the Game asked.

"You tell me," answered the World's Largest Athlete. Triple H then gave him an insulting slap to the face, prompting Big Show to try to punch him with his right hand, which was covered in the most ridiculously large and dangerously strong cast ever created. Triple H ducked the impact, and the cast broke through the wall. Trips found a steel chair in the area and hit Show in the head with it, which stopped him a bit. The Game then proceeded to attack the crushed hand of the Angry Giant. Big Show was now releasing an outcry of pain.

"Stay the hell out of my business!" Trips yelled, before leaving the area. This, hopefully, taught Big Show an important lesson; you don't play the game, or you're letting the game play you.


	7. Dealing With the Smack

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 7_**  
_Title: Dealing With the Smack_  
Show: Friday Night Smackdown (1/6/2006)  
Summary: Randy Orton faces Chris Benoit in the best of seven series while Batista deals with Melina and the WWE Tag Titles.

Randy Orton was in the ring, applying a standing headlock against Chris Benoit. Orton and Benoit were in the sixth match of the best-of-seven series for the WWE United States Championship. Orton has been controlling the action for the past ten-plus minutes. Earlier in the match, Sharmell had tried to interfere in the match, and almost ended up getting Randy disqualified. The Legend Killer was wise enough to single her out and get her ejected before she did anything stupid. Booker T was sitting there in commentary just having a good time, while Orton was busting himself out to win Booker the United States Title. Randy's been in control and free to think about how this will all be over when he joins up with Evolution again for the past ten minutes. And this is where we are. The standing headlock Orton got in on Benoit. Eventually, Benoit got the crowd chanting his name and he was able to struggle free. He then elbowed his way out of the hold, then went off the ropes and came back with a shoulder block to the Legend Killer. Randy quickly got back up, and Benoit knocked him down with a clothesline. This went on two more times, when Orton sidestepped the last clothesline and dished him that stretch back breaker. Booker T was talking about how he's the champion, and Randy took the time to pose to the crowd and earn his rightful jeers. Orton covered Benoit. 1… 2… Benoit kicked out, much to the surprise of the entire area, Booker and Orton especially. While the Book Man exclaimed in shock on the outside, the Legend Killer spent his time complaining to the referee and arguing with him on whether or not it was three. Benoit then sent the crowd into a frenzy when he got Orton in the Crippler Crossface! As Michael Cole was saying, Benoit was just on the verge of tying up the series three to three! All he had to do was exert the pressure for just a little while longer, and Orton would tap out, leaving Benoit to have the room. However, the Man of Destiny refused to give in. He spent a long time in the Crossface, trying to find himself a way out and squiggling around the ring to reach the ropes. Once he finally did, and the referee counted the DQ count for Benoit to let go, the Crippler complied. Once Benoit got back up, though, he immediately got in the Crossface again! But Randy Orton, ever resilient, still refused to give up. Eventually, he did something remarkable, that had never been seen before as a counter to the Crossface. Of course, the entire arena was ready for him to give up. Booker T was trying to distract the referee. But like I said, the remarkable counter came, and the distraction was really for nothing. Orton kicked at the turnbuckle and used the momentum to roll through out of the hold, then immediately after both he and Benoit stood up, Randy got the RKO and covered Benoit for the win!

"Here is your winner, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton!" was the announcement that came out of Tony Chimel's mouth. Randy then went down to the announcer's table area and got the United States Championship, then handed it to Booker T. The Legend Killer's music stayed on, despite the 5-time WCW Champion's happy celebrative tone.

"You're the champ, Booker! And you know who to thank," Randy made sure to tell him as the two continued to parade around the ring. Booker T then pointed to the stage, and a golden fireworks display similar to Evolution's erupted from the stage. Booker and Randy continued to laugh their asses off and celebrate, practically laughing at Chris Benoit. As soon as the fireworks finally cleared, though, Orlando Jordan's music hit, and Randy Orton bailed on Booker, just walking off calmly, going by the stands, and allowing Booker T to get beat up by the Chief of Staff, formerly of JBL's Cabinet. Later that night, Randy would be hearing it from Sharmell. He was chilling out in his locker room, thinking about the great and glorious night he enjoyed. He got to beat Chris Benoit all over again, becoming the first successful surrogate to win someone a Championship. Last time he beat Benoit in a match like this, he became the youngest Heavyweight Champion in history by winning the World Title. That, unfortunately, marked the end of Evolution. In one obvious way, it was bad. But in another way, it was good. Randy was able to find his own self. Finally, Miss Black America busted into Randy's locker room, and despite him winning her husband the United States Title, she was not in a pleased mood. Randy gazed at her, awaiting her smack talk.

"Randy Orton, what in the hell do you think you were doin' out there?" Sharmell screamed, throwing her face about in frustration. "First, you win the United States Title for my man, Booker T! Then you guys celebrate in the middle of the ring. That's all fine and dandy. In fact, that's awesome! But then, you completely turn your back on everything we went through! You walked out by the stands and let Orlando Jordan beat up on my man! Who in the hell do you think you are? Booker T deserves your respect!"

"Yeah, let me ask you a really good question, Sharmell. What the hell makes you think you're not being Booker T's lackey as well as his wife?" Randy quickly retorted, setting off Sharmell but at the same time shutting her up as well. Once he saw the fire stalled, the 25-year-old grand champion smirked and continued. "I don't know which one of you came up with the actual plan for how Booker took the US Title from Benoit the first time, and I don't even know who you like to think wears the pants in this relationship, but the fact still remains, Sharmell. You are nothing more than an extension of Booker, just like that Raw guy, Edge. His slut Lita is merely an extension of him."

"Behind every great man is a great woman!" Sharmell shot back, quoting a cliché.

"You really are the blindest, bitchiest brat on the planet," Randy calmly replied. Sharmell was getting riled up big time, but again had no words to channel it through. "I'm just kidding, Sharmell," he surprisingly continued, calming her down a peg or so. "I know you guys aren't like that. You and Booker T were together a long time ago, before you ever came back to WWE."

"Back?" Sharmell replied, seeming shocked but pleased.

"Yeah. Don't think I forgot; you were the interviewer Sharmell Sullivan before you were even Booker's girlfriend," Randy recalled. Obviously, he watched his stuff back in the day. "But hey; you might appear to be different from Lita only in the regard that you're a smart-aleck while she's… well, Edge's little ho, but back when Kurt Angle was going perv all over you, Booker went to protect you. I respect him. A lot more than Edge. But the fact still remains, I made my commitment to substitute for Booker T in the best of seven series, not including any time after that. So, even though I was enjoying the celebration and the glory, I didn't feel like your husband was my business anymore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got some business to take care of." On that note, the Legend Killer left his locker room with Sharmell inside, still peeved as ever, yet sort of calming herself down a little bit. Randy, meanwhile, found the man he was looking for.

"Batista. What's up?" Randy greeted his old friend.

"Yeah. Randy, what's goin' on?" the Animal greeted back.

"I hope you saw what just happened out there. I made the greatest counter ever to the Crossface and beat Chris Benoit so Booker T could be the United States Champ," Randy boasted. "Hey, I have a knack for beating Chris Benoit in the important matches, don't you think?"

"Yeah, but what else I saw was you turning your back on Booker T," Batista recalled, staggering the Legend Killer's pride. After a while, however, Randy managed to calm down.

"My commitment was only for the series. He's no longer any of my concern," Randy finally replied.

"Alright. I'll give you your peace on that. I mean, that's your view of things," Batista said matter-of-factly. He then heard a familiar voice he was apprently waiting for. His name was called by Theodore Long, who had gotten notice from Rey Mysterio that Batista was looking for him.

"Right. Teddy, I'd like you to withdraw me from the rematch and allow Rey Mysterio to pick his own partner," he said. Teddy was taken aback by the great World Champion's last statement.

"Batista. You do know that if you get out of this rematch-"

"Yeah, I know. I don't get another shot. But listen to me," Batista asked of the General Manager of Smackdown. "I've got a certain idea that Mark Henry's gonna try to come in after me. I don't know if you reinforced the cage or not, but I know the World's Strongest Man, and I know he's not gonna have any trouble breaking open the cage and getting into the ring to screw me out of this match. Rey and I already talked about this, and we've decided on Matt Hardy. That way, Mark Henry doesn't have any incentive. And if he decides to come down for Melina and help her boys out anyway, I'm gonna be right there to stop him in his tracks."

Teddy thought about the whole idea for a good while, then finally said alright, and that we'll do it Batista's way. Then, something came to him.

"By the way, why are you talking to Randy Orton?"

"He came over here and made pleasantries, then you showed up," Batista explained. "I'm gonna go meet Matt and Rey."

At the end of the night came that no-escape steel cage match for the WWE Tag Team Titles pairing Matt Hardy (in place of Batista) and Rey Mysterio against Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury, MNM. Last time Matt Hardy was in a cage match, it was his second Unforgiven cage match victory to come against Edge. Now, he's teaming with an old friend named Rey Mysterio. At this point in time, Matt Hardy was in a clearly bad situation, getting set up for that DDT flapjack double team maneuver they call the Snapshot. Mysterio, though, got him out of it by dropkicking Johnny Nitro's knees. Joey Mercury saw it and went after Mysterio, who springboarded off the ropes into a moonsault takedown, getting Mercury! Rey Mysterio then waited for one of Melina's boys to get up. He noticed Mercury getting up on his feet. Here's an awesome move from Mysterio. He hopped on Mercury's back, then turned his body around into a hurracanrana position, then suddenly hit Mercury with a hurracanrana! Mysterio hooked the legs and got a two count out of it, since Nitro got up and broke up matters. He then stomped away at Mysterio, when Matt Hardy dropkicked Johnny straight into the cage! Matt got up and saw neither member of MNM really moving, so he looked at them, then went atop the turnbuckle for the leg drop off the turnbuckle I call the Mattitude Scream Drop on Nitro, then stalked at Mercury until he got up, taking him into the Twist of Fate. But before he could make the turn for the finishing ¾ turn neckbreaker, Mark Henry's music came on, and the World's Strongest Man made his way to the ring. But how the heck was he supposed to get in with the cage reinforced and the door chained shut? Simple. He went to the door and tried to break it apart. But before he could get that job done, he got taken down by a fired up Batista, who mounted on top of him and flurried away for a bit, then allowed him to get back up only to try a spine buster on him. Unfortunately, it did not work, as Henry was too heavy and strong. Mark elbowed the back of Batista's head to force him off, then rammed the Animal's head into the cage! After that, he threw him over the railing, and posed off to the crowd. A distracted Hardy looked on, only to get placed in the Snapshot! Mysterio got up, went towards MNM, but got kicked in the groin before he could do anything, then placed in the Snapshot himself, and covered 1… 2… 3.

"Here are your winners, and still WWE Tag Team Champions, MNM!" was Tony Chimel's call as MNM celebrated in the ring. Batista didn't exactly look so good out in the front of the crowd. The cage was raised, and Mark Henry took a microphone and went into the ring to speak.

"Hey! Big Dave! Batista!" he called. "I don't know if you figured it out yet, since you're supposed to be some kinda smart guy after the time you spent with Evolution, but about Melina's sexual harassment charges? That was just our way to get your attention and send you this message. We are taking over! I've got the WWE Tag Team Champions right here with me, Melina's tryin' behind the scenes to get herself a shot at the Women's Title, and Batista, you better listen to me; I'm the World's Strongest Man! You can't beat me! I, on the other hand, I will beat you for that World Heavyweight Title!"

Melina came into the ring and pointed with her hands to her three boys with hands raised in victory, Henry standing center. Rey Mysterio and Matt Hardy are lying on the ground outside the ring now, while Batista, who just got up, looks on at the standing powers that are MNM. He's trying to keep a straight face right now, which actually isn't very hard. Henry just declared that he and MNM are taking over? That's funny, because what Batista knows would make Henry look stupid. So he just stared at his next challenger.


	8. Revolutionary Wings

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 8_**  
_Title: Revolutionary Wings_  
Show: WWE Raw Sunday PPV event - New Year's Revolution 06 (1/8/2006)  
Summary: Ric Flair defends Intercontinental gold against Edge, Triple H faces the Big Show, future First Lady of Evolution arrives.

Evolution's championship show was about to begin. Triple H had just arrived in Albany, New York, where the Revolution would finally take place. The New Year's Revolution 06, that is. The Game, as it stands, still cannot wrestle in the Elimination Chamber match tonight, despite the fact that he gave Vince McMahon the pleasure of one more woman in WWE. And the first match she was going to wrestle was a matchup for the Women's Championship. What's more, Mr. McMahon actually thinks he met her on the street, and doesn't even realize that Trips said it was the most attractive woman Vince had ever seen before. He just momentarily tried to tell him that he's seen her before, and the boss did not even catch the wide open pass. This is going to take a little longer, but it'll be easier than he thought. He decided to call someone.

"Hello?" answered the voice on the other side.

"Hey, Nache. Where are you? You showed up around here yet?" the Game asked his comrade.

"Nope. I'm not gonna show until a couple hours later. Why?" a quizzical Flair asked. He and Triple H couldn't meet each other in public before the event in which the team got back together for all the marbles.

"Just making sure you remember to do your part tonight. Edge has got to learn why you don't mess with the Nature Boy," Trips reminded him.

"Right. Oh, and don't worry about the girl. I got her transportation to an area near the arena. She can take a ride and reach there as soon as it's time for her match," Ric said.

"Good. You keep the Intercontinental Title, and she wins the gauntlet match to become Women's Champion, and everything will start falling into place," Trips spoke with a smirk on his face. "See you tonight, Ric."

On that note, Triple H hung up the phone. Later, Ric Flair was in the area, but as a note of solidarity to the secrecy of thr matter, and so as to focus on their individual opposition, he and Triple H did not bother to seek out one another. After a feelgood moment in his locker room watching Chavo Guerrero pin Gene Snitsky with the Latino Heat Frog Splash (R.I.P. Eddie Guerrero! Latino Heat 1967-2005-4ever!), Ric was called by the workers to go for the first match on the card, which was his Intercontinental Title match against the Rated R Superstar. During each man's entrance, the response was good, but Ric Flair obviously had more fans on his side. Each man was, of course, their usual self. Edge had Lita by his side.

The match started when Edge took out Ric Flair right away as the Nache was showing off the Intercontinental Title. Edge got in a few right hands on Flair in the corner followed by a big high back body drop. Edge choked Flair in the corner until the referee broke it up. At this point, Triple H was scowling off in his room. Flair came back, though, with some stiff chest chops on Edge, followed up by a high back body drop. He let out a quick "Whooo!", feeling high at the moment, then got in a few rights hands on the Rated R Superstar before leaving the ring to chase Lita. During the race, Edge slid out and waited for Lita to lead him to Ric, who then got taken out with a clothesline on the outside. The Artist of Awesomeness then grabbed his elder opponent and hit a quick suplex on the outside mat as well. But don't worry about count outs. Edge rolled in to break the count, then continued to contol the action on the outside. Eventually, Edge put Flair back in the ring, and had him in the corner, where Edge got up on the ropes to hit a few hard rights.

Flair began to get some momentum when he knocked the disrespectful one down and got in a few chops. Edge stopped it, though, with a big dropkick to the face, then clotheslined the Nature Boy over the top rope to the outside. Edge jumped off the ring apron and got chopped in mid-air for it! Flair then picked up Edge, hit a few more chops on him, then low blowed him across the top of the ring barricade. Flair threw Edge back in the ring and hit a knee to the head. He then threw him into the corner, hitting a few punches and chops. The last chop took Edge. Flair then went up to the top. Edge and his girlfriend each took turns going in after Ric, but suffered eye rakes in the process, followed by a double axe handle on Edge off the top! Flair covered, but only got a two count. Flair hit a few more chops followed by a chop clothesline to the back of Edge's leg, taking him down. Flair then set his opponent up for the Figure Four. Lita then jumped up to the ring apron, only to get grabbed and taunted a bit. A mistaken Edge approached, only to get sent over the top rope to the outside. The Dirtiest Player in the Game then threw Lita in the ring and got her in the Figure Four leg lock, exciting the people big time! But Edge cut into fun time by hitting Flair with the briefcase and getting himself disqualified, as the ref called for the bell right there.

Despite the bell, Edge continued to hit Flair with hard rights. Flair was busted open at this point and satisfied, Mr. Money in the Bank stood up, raising his arms in the air smiling through the crowd boos. Flair, on the other hand, was flopping around holding his head in pain as Edge left the ring with his girlfriend the Walking Kiss of Death. Edge, however, made a personal decision to cross the line by coming back into the ring with the briefcase to take out Flair with another stiff shot to the head. The bell continued to ring. Ric never moved this time. WWE referees looked on and came to attend to Flair as soon as Edge and Lita left the ring.

Triple H was not liking this at all. He recognized that Ric Flair was still the WWE Intercontinental Champion, but in the shape the Nature Boy was probably placed in, this takeover was not going to be great. Now, there was no telling how long it would take before he could get all of Evolution together. But he had to make sure he paid attention to what was going down tonight in the match against the Big Show. A good half hour later, it became his time to run.

During his entrance, as a security measure, Triple H had to ask the referee to stop the Big Show from attacking him before he could make it to the ring. When he tried to get in, though Big Show approached, so Trips backs off again. Finally, the referee told the Angry Giant to back up and Triple H gots in. The bell rang, and here we go. Big Show attempted a right hand, but Triple H duck and got in one of his own, but Show threw Trips down with force. Trips rolled out of the ring to catch his breath for awhile before getting back in, then arguing with the referee that Big Show's cast is a weapon. The referee said it's legal when Big Show grabbed him and hit a headbutt. Show nailed Trips face first off the corner, then hit a big chop to the chest on the Game, leading to a series of giant control which included more of those frying pans.

Later, when Big Show approached the ropes, Triple H took him out with a running knee to the face, beginning to take control. Trips came out with Show, who then swung for a right hand, which the Cerebral Assassin ducked. The Big Nasty Bastard instead nailed his cast over the steel post and screamed out in pain. Trips then put him back in the ring and work on the giant's wrist. Show eventually fought back out of a wrist lock with a quick hip toss. Trips went up to the top and jumped, only to get nailed by a giant forearm, followed by a big headbutt and a side slam. When Big Show executed the side slam, he landed on his right side and injured his hand a bit more. The five hundred pound behemoth hit three big charges on Triple H in the corner, followed by a shoulder block, taking the smaller enemy down. Big Show then attempted a Major League Chokeslam, but failed to pick up Triple H due to his injured hand. Big Show then accidentally took out the referee, allowing Triple H to leave the ring and pull out a sledgehammer. Triple H came in with the hammer, but Big Show snapped it in half with his bad hand, leaving Triple H speechless. Show took out the Game with a quick kick to the face. Triple H then rolled out to get a steel chair. He couldn't use it before Big Show kicked him in the gut and sent him into the steel steps.

The Big Show tried to lift up part of the steel steps, but the hand stopped him from getting a good grip. Triple H hit a blantant low blow on Big Show, causing him to fall on the bottom of the steps. Trips then picked up the steel chair and smacked it across Show's injured hand. Seeing Mr. Big All Over grabbing his hand in pain, Trips tried to hit him again, only to get taken out with a spear! Big Show throws Triple H back in the ring and comes back in himself, then went for the Major League Chokeslam. But as Show went for it, Triple H picked up part of the sledgehammer and nailed Big Show in the head with it. Triple H threw it away, grabbed Big Show, set him down, and hit the Pedigree! Triple H covered Big Show. 1… 2… 3! And so, the King of Kings headed up the ramp victorious, while Big Show took a while to leave the ring and was favoring his injured hand.

Triple H smiled at his victory, heading back to his locker room, where he suddenly saw his mystery woman standing in front of him wearing a WWE backstage worker's outfit.

"You're not supposed to be in the arena yet," an unagreeing Game shot. Obviously, her being here this fast was not part of the plan.

"Don't worry. They think I'm just one of the workers," she spoke.

"I can see that, but you almost blew it there. Just remember not to undress until after you get to the curtains."

Later on, it was time for the now eight person Bra and Panties Gauntlet match for the WWE Women's Championship. First in the ring were Candace and Maria. Maria's bra got stripped, Candace ended up getting completely stripped first, after which Torrie Wilson came into the ring and suffered the same fate. Then, Victoria exposed Maria's panties to eliminate her, following which Mae Young and the Fabulous Moolah came in to strip Victoria's top off, after which Ashley came out to continue the match! When Ashley hit the ring, Victoria grabbed and set her for the Widow's Peak, but the Punk Child countered out of it and pulls down Victoria's shorts to eliminate her! For a moment, Ashley felt like she won the gauntlet, but then, she quickly realized that she had forgotten about the mystery woman, then Mickie and Trish. Thanks to Triple H, she got this opportunity to become the Women's Champion. And she needs to keep going for it. Suddenly, the music rang, and the crowd went insane. Then came the appearance of the now revealed mystery lady, and the announcement from Lilian Garcia:

"And introducing the next member of the gauntlet, from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Miss Jackie!"

That's right! Miss Jackie, the one who was screwed over by Jeff Jarrett of Total Nonstop Action, is now back in WWE, and could become the Women's Champion really soon! But before thinking about that, Jackie decides to introduce herself personally to Ashley once she gets in the ring, as well as congratulate her on winning the Diva Search. They then have a hug, suggesting that they are friends. But before completely letting go, Jackie takes off Ashley's top, revealing her bra! Ashley, shocked and even laughing a little about being tricked, is about to (keyword: about to!) get herself together to get back into the match, when Jackie pulls down her shorts, then takes them off!

Ashley being eliminated, Mickie James saw that it was her turn to break into the ring. Mickie shook hands with Jackie, then knocked her down with a spinning kick. Suddenly, Eugene's music rang throughout the arena. Some of the people cheered, and others booed, but everyone reacted. Even Mickie and Jackie were surprised a little bit. But when it finally stopped, Jackie unbuttoned Mickie's top from behind, then took down her bottoms. Mickie was just stripped down to bra and panties and eliminated effortlessly.

Trish Stratus, the Women's Champion, finally came out to end the gauntlet. Suddenly, Lita came into the ring from out of nowhere to attack Trish. She took her down and pounded her head against the mat ruthlessly. Miss Jackie went to the outside to tell Mickie and send her in, and Mickie then turned the tables on the Queen of Extreme. After seeing this, Jackie, ever the opportunist, ripped off Trish's top, exposing her bra. Jackie tried to pick her up soon afterwards, but Trish countered into an inside cradle, in which she disrobed Jackie's top!

Now, both of them were one strip away from either being competitively violated or walking out of the Revolution the Women's Champion. After the two stood up, they approached each other as if about to get in a grapple, but Trish didn't comply. She came behind Jackie and hopped on top of her, then rolled her into a high angle clutch. Jackie, though, knew to protect her slacks with her hands so Trish's attempt to take it failed and Jackie could get up. She then used her opportunity to get in a school kid cover in which she did successfully remove Trish's pants and officially claim her title as the Women's Champion!

Triple H and Ric Flair, in separate rooms, smiled to themselves as Miss Jackie celebrated and was handed the Women's Title.

"This is going to be easier than I thought."

Oh, but one more interesting update; John Cena kept the WWE Title, but then got taken down by Edge, who cashed in his Money in the Bank to face Cena right there. It was pretty much a given. After a couple of Spears, Edge was the WWE Heavyweight Champion.

"Sounds like I gotta take him down now," Trips decided to himself. "Well, then. Things just got interesting, but it really doesn't matter."


	9. Time to Play the Game

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 9_**  
_Title: Time to Play the Game_  
Show: Monday Night Raw (1/9/2006)  
Summary: Miss Jackie defends her belt against Trish Stratus, and Triple H finally declares he is gunning for gold.

For the most part, riding on the wings of the New Year's Revolution pay-per-view has made Triple H a little bit more confident. Ric Flair is still the Intercontinental Champion, Trips himself pinned the Big Show, and Miss Jackie just became the Women's Champion. On the other hand, Flair was bruised up pretty badly by Edge in that match, especially with two shots with that Money in the Bank briefcase. The one good thing about that is not only could he stay home to recover, but also kind of milk the injury a little bit.

But the Game still feels as though he needs his own gold in order to completely make the stake for the action. When he arrived at the arena, he immediately went to find Todd Grisham. Once he finally did, the Sledgehammer Villain called the young Raw interviewer over to him.

"What is it, Triple H?" Todd asked.

"Listen. Todd, I want you to interview me later on tonight," Trips instructed him. "I dealt with the Big Show at New Year's Revolution, and I kinda want to tell the people exactly what's next for me."

"Okay. We'll do that," Todd agreed.

"Thanks. Good to know you're at least good for that much, kid. Keep it up," Trips said, patting Todd Grisham's shoulder a bit before leaving that part of the area to go back to his room. But before he could get that done, he was met by one man. And that one man was Vince McMahon. And Vince did not look like he was in a happy mood at all.

"What the hell was the big idea bringing Miss Jackie over here?" Vince asked Trips, in a bit of a demanding tone. The Game, however, stood firm through this answer:

"She never was officially TNA Impact property yet. Why not bring her here?" Trips asked right back. Now this was beginning to turn into a debate.

"Don't you talk gip with me, you dumb son of a bitch! That's not what I was talking about! You think I don't watch and snicker at that company? Dixie Carter's got the true second rate show, not Theodore Long!" Vince screamed out. "The fact of the matter is this; I released Miss Jackie and her fiance Charlie Haas because I did not want them around here anymore! You never even really did meet her off the street, did you?"

"Listen. She's the Women's Champion now, and if you're gonna release her again or strip her of the Title, you need to have some grounds on which to do it. Besides, I got a feeling that your former little sex pot Trish Stratus is gonna want to face Jackie to take the Title back," Trips reminded the chairman of the board.

"Ooooh, don't you go there again. That was a long time ago," Vince said, in that evil fuming tone.

"Great. Now you and I are fighting. What else is next?" Trips asked, to both Vince and to himself, before walking off.

"Hey, Triple H!" Vince called after a while, causing the Cerebral Assassin to turn back. "How about that match tonight? Miss Jackie vs. Trish Stratus for the Women's Championship! That sounds good, huh?"

"Go ahead if you want. All I did was bring her here. She has nothing to do with me," he declared aloud, before continuing his leave.

At the beginning of the show, John Cena came out to cash in on his rematch clause to face Edge for the WWE Heavyweight Championship, but Lita came out to inform Cena and everyone else that Edge was not defending it tonight. Rather, Cena's rematch is held up until the Royal Rumble in three weeks. But, she said, Edge would be in action in the ring, for Edge and Lita were going to get into a live sex celebration. Cena declared he's gonna whoop Edge's ass at the Rumble.

Not too much later on, Miss Jackie had to defend her Women's Championship against Trish Stratus. In the match, Jackie and Trish did immediately get into grapple position on each other, unlike last time, when the objective was to strip your opponents. However, it quickly broke, as Jackie put Trish in a hammer lock. Trish countered out of it and hit Jackie with a head scissors takedown, then came after Jackie in the corner, but Jackie ducked it and had Trish there. For a minute, Jackie experienced control, but after a headlock, Trish started off a momentum surge with a number of clotheslines, followed by an irishwhip from corner to corner which led to the Stratusphere. Trish covered, but Jackie kicked out. Trish then tried to hit Jackie with a neckbreaker, when Jackie countered out of it and got Trish in the school kid cover for the pin! Miss Jackie successfully retained her Women's Title, much to the glee of the crowd and, unbeknownst to them, Triple H.

Speaking of the Game, he had that interview with Todd Grisham.

"Triple H, last night at New Year's Revolution, we saw you beat the Big Show with your trademark patented sledgehammer. Now, after your triumphant victory, what exactly is next for you?" Todd asked, before extending his microphone to Triple H.

"You want to know what's next for me? Fine, I'll tell you," Trips began. "Now, since it's Royal Rumble time, I could easily enter myself into the Royal Rumble match, kick 29 other men's ass, and go on to become WWE Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 22. Well, I have other ideas. I don't want to wait until the big daddy of them all to take my chances at the possibility of a WWE Title match. Rather, I'm going for the WWE Championship my way. Whatever Edge and John Cena are preparing to do to each other, I'm puttin' them on gridlock until I successfully get into that WWE Title match, then until the match happens at the Royal Rumble, and then during the match at the Royal Rumble. It says Edge vs. Cena on the card right now, but you're looking at the man who's gonna walk out of Miami January 29th your new WWE Champion."

With that confident statement, he walked off.

Vince McMahon had only put the warning about interrupting the live sex celebration on John Cena earlier tonight because he did not expect Triple H to inject himself into this matter.

At the end of the show, in the ring was a bed tailor made for Edge and Lita's live sex. Lilian Garcia was also there with a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, the new-"

She suddenly stopped when Triple H's music rang, and out came the Game. The surprised audience cheered at the fact, and then Triple H came out, suited well, confident and cool. He went about his trademark entrance, and when it finally died down, he took a microphone.

"Wait a minute. I'm looking around this ring, and I see something is wrong. Wait a minute, I just realized what it is. What the hell is a bed doing in here?" Trips began. Some of the people laughed at that question, though. "Hey, but seriously. I must have missed something, because a bed is not something that belongs in one of these rings. Could somebody please enlighten me on what the hell that thing is… oh, scratch that. I think I may have just remembered. See, if I've got it correct, the Toronto screwball and the Carolina slut are gonna celebrate beating the hell out of that walking stick Ric Flair and the highway robbery of John Cena for the WWE Championship by having live sex in the middle of the ring. Well, as far as I'm concerned, that's not gonna happen. (mixed reactions arise) First of all, I've heard legends from a certain Adam Copeland's former ladies that despite having the stick, he's the one that sucks. (haha) Also, Vince McMahon never warned me not to do anything, and one thing I'm not gonna let happen is see somebody whose ass I plan to kick have sex in the middle of the ring. And because it is what it is, having the squared circle around it would make it more disturbing than Boogeyman's worms. (haha) So as far as I'm concered, even though this is a good looking bed to do it on, it deserves to be hammered and kicked in."

Leaving the people to think as they wished, Triple H dropped his microphone and exited the ring, then looked underneath it to find a sledgehammer. He came into the ring and then proceeded to critically damage the bed a little bit before Edge's entrance music finally came on. Edge and Lita, extremely angry about this, came down the ramp scowling, and an angry faced Rated R Superstar slid into the ring and went into a slugfest with the Game. Eventually, Triple H got the advantage, then irishwhipped Edge, when Edge came back, sent him out of the ring. Edge got back on his feet to a flurry of fists from John Cena on the outside. Triple H looked on, then got his sledgehammer as Cena continued fisting and stomping away on Edge. Lita, who until now was carrying Edge's WWE Title, hopped on top of John Cena, only to get snapmared into legdropping her boyfriend. Cena, though, got nailed with a sledgehammer. The Game had whacked him with it. He then took Edge, picked him up, and rolled him into the ring, repeating this same deed to Cena as Edge was attended to by his girlfriend. He then picked each guy up and got him in a Pedigree, Cena first. Lita then bad-mouthed Trips about hurting her boyfriend, and she got a Pedigree herself. Triple H then raised his hands up in the air in that triumphant "I am the Game!" pose, as his music blared throughout the arena to the fans' mixed reactions. He then screamed out, "That's the way it's gonna be from now on! That's just the way it's gonna be, because I am the Game, and I am that damn good!" He then came down and took the WWE Championship, then raised it in the air, as if making the statement that he was the Champion, or at least he was going to be.


	10. Royal Tribute to Honor

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 10_**  
_Title: Royal Tribute to Honor_  
Show: Friday Night Smackdown (1/13/2006)  
Summary: Batista faces off in a 23-person battle royal for his own World Heavyweight Title, and it includes Randy Orton.

Batista had been scheduled for a house show match against Mark Henry earlier this week, but had rejected the idea, since he knew that Henry was going to try to injure him, since there was no television audience to make him sick. However, he knew the Smackdown fans were going to want something out of him for it, so he proposed that instead of facing Henry at that house show, that he was going to the televised Smackdown event this week, which was by now tonight, and was going to defend his World Heavyweight Championship against 22 other men. General Manager Theodore Long determined that the best way to do it in was an over-the-top battle royal. Batista accepted the punishment he himself came up with, rather than complain about it. But little did he know, his "secret comrade" was about to be in on this as well.

There were 21 spots already filled, and there was a certain something called a rematch. That rematch was Chris Benoit vs. Randy Orton. And that rematch was for one of the two unfilled spots in the battle royal that would happen just as well tonight. Orton was notified of this as soon as he hit the arena. Unlike Triple H and Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton did not take their time outside the arena and hotel to go talk to each other about their plans. Each man simply found out about the card from the workers.

Anyway, Theodore Long was in the ring to begin the show.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your World Heavyweight Champion, the Animal, Batista!"

When Batista came out to his entrance music, it almost tore the house down. He was as energized as always, from going to each end of the stage, to setting off the stage guns from the middle of the ramp, to raising his hands across all four corners. Big Dave was ready to be in business. And this was wearing a suit.

"Now, let me inform each and every one of you that Batista is a man that could be considered in several ways. One, he could be considered as a man that is scared of Mark Henry. Two, he could be considered as a man that bails out on his fans. Three, he could be considered as a smart man that looks out for his safety and saves his energy for when it matters the most," Theodore began. "You see, your man Big Dave here was scheduled to appear at a house show in a match against 'the World's Strongest Man' Mark Henry. Batista declined, knowing that his World Heavyweight Championship was going to be in immediate jeopardy because of it. However, Batista came up with his own punishment for the crime. He practically demanded to me that I put him in a battle royal against 22 other men, that one of those 22 other men was Mark Henry, and that this battle royal was for the World Heavyweight Championship!"

Fans cheered at the great match, before Theodore handed Batista the microphone. Everyone was now on their feet chanting Batista's name. "BATISTA! BATISTA! BATISTA! BATISTA! BATISTA! BATISTA!"

"As for the people I bailed on, you have to understand. I was walking around when I heard Mark Henry, Melina, and MNM talking. Mark Henry basically said that he was planning to use that match between him and me strictly to injure me so that the World Title could be all to his for the taking. Knowing that someone like that was going to try to take the World Heavyweight Championship by trying to put my career and my livelihood at risk, I was not going to let him do me in. But Mark, now you have a real opportunity. Now you have your chance. Now is your World Heavyweight Championship shot. If you want some of me, then come get some of me. If you can take me and everyone else out, you can call yourself the Champ. Friend or foe, anyone and everyone else involved in this battle royal can say the same thing for themselves. But I promise you, I'm ready."

The Animal's music came on, and he went to the back and awaited this great opportunity.

Randy Orton, later, was met by Booker T in his locker room. And Booker did not look so happy, and neither did his wife.

"Booker, I know what this about," the Legend Killer said through sighs, looking as his somewhat of a friend.

"Naw. You don't know, dawg. See, I can understand you bailin' out on me when Orlando came in to jump on me. That I didn't like, but I could understand. The commitment was over when you pinned Chris Benoit just a couple minutes ago to that," Booker stated. "But if my wife wasn't talkin' a bunch of smack when she came to me about this, she said that you compared us to Raw's constant sex pool they call Edge and Lita, and that you said that I, Booker T, was none of your concern at all anymore. Now we got a problem."

"I thought I made it clear that I never meant those Edge-Lita comments. And since the commitment's over, you're not my business anymore," Randy said.

"Yeah, but on the other hand. Who got you dat glory moment last week? Who picked you up after the Undertaker kicked your can at Hell in a Cell last month? Who here brought the Legend Killer back to form after you was startin' to feel pretty damn low? And who still owes you a favor for what you did if you play your cards right?" Booker asked Randy, giving him plenty of questions to think about.

"Guess you just put me on the spot there, huh?"

"Guess so. But I ain't mad at ya."

"Hey, I got it. Convince Teddy Long to call off the match and put both me and Chris Benoit in the battle royal. I already faced and beat him last week. I deserve to be in this, and Teddy might argue that Benoit deserves the spot too. So just get the man to give it to both of us," Randy suggested. "That'll be the favor. You got it, Book?"

"Yeah. I got it," the 5-time WCW Champion agreed. And he did comply. The only problem was that the other "unreserved" spot was indeed reserved, for Smackdown's latest coup from Raw.

"A'ight. But there's a bunch of sorry tag teams that should not be in this battle royal. You got LOD, the Mexicools, those Italian guys, the Dicks. At least two of those teams are in the battle royal. You're tellin' me you couldn't take out somebody from those teams to put a superstar like Chris Benoit or Randy Orton in the battle royal?"

"Hmm. Good point. The Dicks are not exactly a feature attraction at all anyway. I'm takin' em both out and puttin' somebody else in. That leaves two spots, for Benoit, and Orton. How bout that?" he offered. "I'm makin' this official now."

"I can dig that," Booker agreed. So now both Randy Orton and Chris Benoit were in the battle royal. But more importantly to Randy Orton, both he and Batista were in the battle royal.

This battle royal would take place during the final thirty minutes of action.

With twenty Superstars in the ring, the lighting went creepy dark red, and a certain piano bell rang. The putrid smoke came up, and crawling from underneath it at the stage was that haunted creeper, the Boogeyman. At the middle of the ramp, he benged that plastic clock into his head, setting off the flames, then started shaking around before taking out some worms. But he didn't eat them: he threw them at Mark Henry, who was the closest guy to him. Henry was complaining throughout the entire rest of Boogeyman's entrance. Theodore Long, who was at ringside, took a microphone and began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the next entrant into this battle royal, and the latest transfer from Raw to Smackdown, 'the Wrestling Machine' Kurt Angle!"

Amazement surrounded everyone in the area as Kurt Angle came out, the "You Suck!" chants quickly following. Unfortunately, though, that chump Daivari was right there behind him. Afterwards, Batista came out, again with his energetic entrance, again blasting the house down. But after finally taking off his World Heavyweight Championship and giving it to the referee, he went on one of the turnbuckles again, thumped his chest a couple of times, then pointed and looked up to the sky, saying, "Eddie Guerrero, this is for you!" That earned the respect of Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit, as well as just about everybody else there.

Then, Batista's music stopped, and the bell finally rang. Mark Henry confronted the Boogeyman and called Boogeyman a sorry, disgusting piece of trash, and said that he's not scared of the Boogeyman. In reply, Boogeyman took out some worms and planted them on Henry's face! Henry immediately wiped them off, and punched Boogeyman square in the face. Boogeyman rolled out of the ring and just stood there. Nunzio came after Mark Henry and got backtossed way over the ropes.

Meanwhile, Batista was getting double teamed by MNM in the corner, Randy Orton was fighting with Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle was getting physical with JBL. After a while, Psicosis and Paul Burchill had each other teetering on the ropes. Mark Henry ran on the ropes, and neither could hold on.

Supercrazy came to Henry and got military pressed and tossed over onto his partner.

Kurt Angle's battle with JBL came to a quick end as Angle got the Olympic Slam on JBL, then was hit in the back by Sylvan. The egotistical Tough Model thought he had the right to pose after getting a few right hands in, then got run over and out for his mistake.

Batista's troubles, though, were only beginning. MNM finally stopped hitting him in the corner, only for Mark Henry to come and ram all his body weight straight into the Animal. There was a lot of trouble awaiting from that moment. Randy Orton and Jamie Noble were sort of working together against Bobby Lashley, trying to get the Real Deal out. However, it was Noble that wound up suffering the mistake, as Lashley used a belly to belly T-bone throw to get the Redneck Messiah over and out.

Matt Hardy was challenged, meanwhile, by Simon Dean. Simon irishwhipped Matt, right into the area of the ropes where Orton was, seeing that the Legend Killer lowered the ropes to get Matt over and out. But Matt stopped himself by going down and dropkicking Orton, knocking him out by underneath the ropes. But that was underneath, so Randy was still alive. Hardy, however, was not going to be so merciful to Simon Dean. Simon came over to him and was tripped by a drop toe hold, where he ended up chin against the middle rope, perfectly set up for Rey Mysterio's 619! Johnny Nitro and Joey Mercury came to try to take out Matt and Rey, but Rey headbutted Nitro's midsection and Mercury was put over. But he hung on and avoided getting knocked out by Hardy. Batista finally broke out of Henry's assault and saw Simon leaning back against the ropes, then took advantage to clothesline him over and out.

Orlando Jordan had Vito against the ropes, and Batista was coming. Orlando got out of the way, and Batista clotheslined Vito over and out.

Randy Orton got back in the ring first thing and finally got into it with Chris Benoit. Eventually, Benoit had Orton cornered in an array of chops. Randy's chest is beet red from pain. Road Warrior Animal arrives on the scene and gets chopped by Benoit himself, Kurt Angle suddenly arrives from behind Animal and clotheslines him low, taking him down by the shin. William Regal came over to Benoit and tried to hit him with a few good right hands. But if you're the Rogue Scoundrel, you're wishing you did not get on the bad side of the Rabid Wolverine. Why? You're getting tossed out after he gets you back with a few knees to the head.

Rey Mysterio hit Orlando Jordan with a seated senton splash, and Nitro attacked Mysterio, trying to send him over the top and out. Mysterio, though, hung on, and Matt almost send Nitro out, until he skinned the cat. Nitro laid on the apron right when Melina was there so she could push him in. Elsewhere, Road Warrior Animal confronted Mark Henry, then had the typical big vs. huge series of trying to knock him down, but falling himself. Henry, though, soon got tired of it, and placed Animal on the turnbuckle, before just shoving him over and out.

JBL wound up fighting his former backup leader, "the Chief of Staff" Orlando Jordan. As JBL fisted away at Jordan against the ropes, Matt Hardy turned him around and hit a good few right hands on JBL. The Wrestling God was so focused on fighting Hardy now that he completely forgot about Jordan. When he ran to the ropes planning to come back with the Clothesline from Hell, Orlando Jordan lowered the ropes and almost sent JBL out, but he skinned the cat and barely hung on to the ropes. But when Boogeyman took more worms and shoved them into JBL's face, the Businessman was so flustered he ended up letting go and falling out.

Then, Boogeyman finally got on the apron. He instantly drew the ire of Mark Henry, who threw him by the head into the ring, then hit him with the World's Strongest Slam! Meanwhile, the Legend Killer and the Chief of Staff ended up going face to face, and Randy Orton did not allow Orlando to get the advantage in the fist fight, so he issued him a drop toe hold, then went towards Nitro and Mercury vs. Hardy and Mysterio, quickly raiding that with an attempt to throw Mysterio over the ring. Rey skinned the cat, but Melina tried to drag him down. He managed to kick her off, then got back over and into the ring. Before Randy Orton could hit Rey, however, he went down under the ropes to the outside, then picked up Melina and sent her into the ring, knowing that at least one of her boys was going to rush to her side. It worked even better. All three of them did. Boogeyman just got back up, and took Joey Mercury into a Pumphandle Slam. Henry noticed, and now he had enough of Mr. Nightcrawler. He sent him over the top and out emphatically. By now, Melina was already out.

Randy Orton saw that Orlando Jordan was merely standing around and watching everything, so he turned him around and hit him with the RKO! Then, Kurt Angle hit Randy Orton in the Olympic Slam! Chris Benoit followed that up with a Crippler Crossface to Angle! Lashley took the upper hand and took Jordan and tossed him out, only to find himself standing up to Mark Henry.

Lashley came to Henry as if to try to ram him, but Lashley actually stopped right beforehand, knowing that Henry was going to extend just a little bit to hit him with the more powerful shoulder block and send him crashing down. Lashley could then get Henry in a drop toe hold, putting him in 619 position. As Mysterio prepared to dish out the 619, Mercury arrested that with a double forearm hit and Nitro tried to jump Lashley, only to become endangered species. He was snapmared off Lashley's back, then hit with the Dominator. The One Man Army then took Nitro into a military press and slammed him over and out.

Joey Mercury then tried to do the same, only to get snapmared over and out.

Lashley was taken over and out by the legs from behind, however, by Kurt and Randy.

Matt Hardy attacked Mark Henry with a low kick, as did Randy Orton. Hardy took Henry into Twist of Fate position, only to get lifted up with his back on Henry's back. Mark backed up into the ropes, and Matt could not hold onto him, so Hardy ended up getting eliminated.

Rey Mysterio tried to get a seated senton on Henry, only to get caught and powerbombed out over the top!

Batista, who inally made his move, hit a huge clothesline on Mark Henry's back, causing him to tip over just a slight bit. Kurt Angle, Batista, Chris Benoit, and Randy Orton tried to get Henry over the top. Melina then got into the ring and tapped Randy on his shoulder. When Orton turned around, he found Melina dancing exotically in front of him to distract him. He then crept closer to her, and went around one of her legs to touch her rear, and they also even kissed. But that's when he stopped it all and shoved Melina down, earning a few cheers, and a few disapproving groans, from the audience. Henry was barely hanging on by the ropes. Orton saw that and blasted Henry's hands with a dropkick, and that knocked out the World's Strongest Man.

Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle then went in after Orton, but come chase time, he lowered the ropes, and the two competitors ended up having to skin the cat in order to survive. Angle and Benoit, former friends and former enemies, then got into a fight on the apron to see who could knock who out. Orton and Batista looked at each other, then looked over at the crowd. The two former Evolution best friends were being egged on to go at each other, but Orton pointed to Angle and Benoit's kicking debate. Batista didn't exactly back down from fighting Orton, however, as when Randy went to try to help against Angle and Benoit, Batista turned him around and got in a few right hands, but on one of them, he failed to connect, as Orton ducked and came behind him. He could have easily dropkicked Batista over the ropes, but instead saw it worth to wait for Big Dave to turn around and dish him into the RKO! Orton then went underneath the ropes out of the ring, and got a trash can lid from under the ring and hit Kurt Angle with it right in the head! The Olympic Champion was now going through a case of scrambled brains, which gave Chris Benoit just the edge he needed to kick Kurt one more and take him out.

Orton tried to hit Benoit, but Chris quickly took himself inside the ring to dodge. Orton went in, and now we've got three guys left. Randy Orton, Chris Benoit, and Batista. And we all know the documented history between these three. The fans cheered as Batista finally got up, and the three men stared at each other. Batista decided to sit back and allow the two remaining challengers to get it on inside the ring, and when they circled the ring, Benoit rallied on the crowd, constantly waving his right arm with a closed fist and leading an "EDDIE!" chant. Orton tried to quickly come from behind and hit Benoit with that stretch back breaker, but Benoit got out of it and then hit the Three Amigo suplexes, then went on to thump his chest hard and point up, just like Batista had done before the match, in tribute to the late "Latino Heat" Eddie Guerrero. Benoit went up to the top turnbuckle and get in that flying headbutt. It connected, and Batista applauded Benoit. Then, Benoit went for the Crippler Crossface, but after a while, Orton rolled through out of it, and went for the RKO, but Benoit pushed out of it. Batista lowered the ropes, but Orton skinned the cat and landed on the apron, then got into the ring. Benoit and Orton then ended up in a chase around the ring, when Benoit ducked Orton's clothesline, then took his legs up from behind and got him over and out.

Orton instantly got up, and as Benoit and Batista stared each other down, attacked the Rabid Wolverine from behind. Orton looked at Batista and realized he was in trouble. Orton led Batista through the ropes outside, and a chase ensued. Benoit eventually joined in and was further behind Orton than Batista. Orton eventually led it into the ring, then went outside at the other end. Batista failed to reach him, then he saw Benoit coming straight at him when he turned around. In a move of panic, it seems, Batista lowered the ropes and allowed Benoit to trip over, taking out the Rabid Wolverine. The bell suddenly rang, and Batista was in shock. Then came his music, and him being named still World Heavyweight Champion. It just hit Batista that by a stroke of luck, he had just retained the World Heavyweight Title! But before he could celebrate, he was met in the ring by Chris Benoit, who then shook his hand. The two friends then had a slight embrace, followed by Benoit raising Batista's hand. Both men then went up at corners, raised their hands high, and pointed to the sky. Here's notes from Michael Cole in response:

"And there you see Chris Benoit and Batista pointing to the sky, and here's what that is symbolic of. This match, to them, was all for one man. When that man was alive, he was called Latino Heat. That man is the late great Eddie Guerrero, a man who this generation will always remember as one of the greatest wrestlers, and greatest people, of all time. Rest in peace, Eddie. We all miss you, and we love you. We know where you are, and we hope to meet you there in the future. Your friend Batista is still the World Heavyweight Champion."

"EDDIE!" chants broke out throughout the arena.

"There you hear the Eddie chants, and you're probably joinin' in, too. And that's what this moment between Benoit and Batista in the ring is all about," Tazz said, inserting himself into the conversation. "If you know who Eddie Guerrero is, you have to miss him. And if you don't miss Eddie Guerrero, then you know nothing about this business. I don't mean to be harsh, but there's just no other way to say how much he means to us all. That's just the way it is."

As the celebration and the tribute to the greatest of all continued, Michael Cole wished us all good night. And there the show was over.

_a/n: This was the longest chapter of them all, I know. But it pretty much had to be. I mean, there's a battle royal. And then, to finish it, there's two of Eddie Guerrero's closest friends from when he was alive. I had to make a tributary piece there for the late great Latino Heat. This is probably gonna be the only chapter in which the Evolution takeover is merely an afterthought. Rest in peace, Eddie. We love you and we miss you. It's been two months, but that's definitely not long enough to make me or mostly anyone forget about you. 1967-2005-4ever. Peace._


	11. Inserted at Long Last

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 11_**  
_Title: Inserted at Long Last_  
Show: Monday Night Raw (1/16/2006)  
Summary: Vince McMahon gives Triple H a chance to be in the WWE Heavyweight Championship match at the Royal Rumble event.

"Hey, look. Call for an absence. You're not gonna be able to work both Friday and Saturday. Just go. Have one of your friends tell the boss man you can't be there Friday night, alright? How hard can it be?" Trips said to somebody on his cellular phone. After listening for their answer, he said he'll call them back later tonight and bye, then closed the phone. He was standing around the interviewer's area, where he was met by the WWE Women's Champion, Miss Jackie.

"Triple H?" she called, causing him to turn around.

"So Jackie, now you're, the Women's Champion around here, huh?" Trips acknowledged. "Well, good luck to you. I have a little bit of business to take care of."

"Glad I ran into you. Trips, I just want to say, thank you for finding me. I was getting tired of having to bite my way through Jeff Jarrett's traps and negotiations in order to get into TNA. At least this time around, I'm coming back to WWE with a little respect on me," she said.

"Well, I told Vince McMahon that you could kick my ass if you caught me by surprise. He didn't even pay attention when I said it was one of the hottest babes he's ever seen before," Trips replied in a half comical tone. "Say, by the way: speaking of the boss, have you seen him, Edge, or Cena around here today?"

"The Rated R Superstar is down that way," Jackie said, pointing to where she came from.

"Thanks," the Game said before going off in that direction and leaving the Colorful Belle all by herself. She merely had a smirk on her face and continued going the other way.

Back to Triple H. He successfully found Edge and Lita in their locker room, kissing with one another and with the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

"Look at you! Have you no shame at what you're doing to the WWE Title?" he said, interrupting the lovers' little session.

"Shame? Who the hell is that? I know you're not talking about Mr. McMahon's son, because that's Shane. With an 'n'," Edge retorted, never short of his clever remarks.

"You often talk about winning matches left and right, working your ass off for fourteen years, and having to deal with that chump stain partner Christian, as reason that you should have the WWE Title," Trips retorted. "As far as I'm concerned, you have no reason to be holding this belt. You embarrass it. How do you win the Title? The purest demonstration of a cheap shot. And how do you celebrate it?"

"Hey, what I do on my time is none of your business!"

"No," Trips cut in, disagreement all over his voice. "How do you celebrate the Title? By trying to have live sex in the middle of the ring, which is more disgusting than Mae Young and the Boogeyman's worms combined anywhere. How do I put it plain and simple? You suck!"

"Whatever. You can't do anything about it. You're in the back of the line, Triple H. You can't touch me," Edge boasted, thinking that the match being against Cena renders Triple H harmless. A confident smile crept across his and Lita's faces.

"Not anymore. I got a real good idea I sent a message to the boss last week," Trips countered. Edge's grin immediately died, as did Lita's. "And as far as I'm concerned, kid, you can drop the slut on your shoulder. She's not gonna help ya when it comes to the Game."

He walked off, leaving the Ballistic AC seething, before Lita reminded Edge to focus on what he needed to do tonight.

Tonight, the show began with Edge and Lita inside the ring, getting ready to pull on a promo.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Rated R Superstar, and your new WWE Heavyweight Champion, a stunning, sexy, and incredible man, Edge!" Lita proudly proclaimed, with a smile all over her face. Edge then raised his Championship in the air, summoning forth a large chorus of boos from the people. Even the girls in the audience certainly did not agree with Lita's description of the Artist of Awesomeness. She handed him her microphone, and he got ready to speak to the fans.

"I got a good few words for you all. And those few words are; the champ is here," Edge began, pointing to himself as well as coining a line from the man he beat eight nights ago for the WWE Title. This did not go over well with the Chain Gang. "Do you hear me? The champ is here! (boo!) Let me explain something to each and every one of you! I whooped John Cena's ass in less than two minutes for the WWE Title at New Year's Revolution! And contrary to the opinions of Cena and a certain game guy I know called Triple H who is absolutely desperate to get into this match, and now he knows how I felt last year about getting screwed over by authority, I have the right to celebrate my victory however the hell I want. And that meant live sex in the middle of the ring! You people, whether you like it or not, you would have gotten to see the Walking Kiss of Death placed in power over the Vanilla Scorch Cake! (small mixed response) Triple H had to pay merely $800 in damages over the bed he destroyed in that ring. Well, he should have paid $8 million along with that over the championship celebration that he destroyed! (boo!) Mr. McMahon, I need you to come out here right now and issue Triple H his due punishment. Please, Vince. You know it's the right thing to do."

After a while, Vince McMahon's music rang, and in that same trademark power walk, the WWE Chairman made his way to the squared circle, to the admiration and respect of the people.

"Well, quite frankly, Edge, I don't give a damn about the expenses Triple H paid over breaking the bed, and I'm sure he doesn't give a damn, and I'm telling you right now, I don't give a damn who was going to tower over who. To be honest, though, I was kind of looking forward to this thing. Triple H ruined what could have been one of the greatest shocking moments in Raw history. Therefore, he deserves to be put in jeopardy," Vince began.

"Yes, he does," Edge agreed wholeheartedly.

"SHUT UP!" Vince yelled out. Apparently, Edge was never supposed to speak. "And despite that, he also made a statement that he's not waiting around for the Royal Rumble match and WrestleMania. He wants to be WWE Heavyweight Champion, and he wants to be WWE Heavyweight Champion as soon as possible! Therefore, I have to respect that. Now, both statements being said, I am going to request that Triple H keep on his television set in his locker room and listen very closely to what I have to say. And what I have to say is simply this: get ready for an all or nothing handicap match. I'm going to put you in the ring against two people, a teacher and a pupil. You will be taking on the team of 'the Heartbreak Kid' Shawn Michaels (yeah!) and the 'Refined Southern Gentleman' Lance Cade. (boo.) If you can beat Michaels and Cade, you insert yourself in what would then be a triple threat match for the WWE Heavyweight Title between the Champion Edge, John Cena, and then yourself. However, if you lose in this match to Michaels and Cade, I've got just two words to describe your fate: **_YOU'RE FIRED!_**"

The fans cheered at the important notice from Vince McMahon, knowing that they were going to get a somewhat great match.

This match, Triple H vs. Lance Cade and Shawn Michaels, would turn out to be the main event tonight.

Sooner than later, 10:45 arrived, and the match finally began. Of course, Lance Cade went first, and he attacked Triple H right away during his entrance. Trips was now taking a flurry of right hands from the irritable Lance Cade. But the Game soon got out of it, and began fisting away on Cade himself. He irishwhipped him and gave him that leaping Harley Race knee to the head, knocking Cade down. Trips was already starting to feel the hype. He clotheslined Cade a couple of times, before kicking him in the midsection and going for the Pedigree. But before he could lock it in, he felt some Sweet Chin Music, courtesy of Shawn Michaels, sending the crowd into absolute frenzy! Michaels then placed Cade atop Triple H, left the ring, and waited to hear the three. But Trips instead kicked out! Cade got up and prepared to deal Trips with a DDT, when Trips suddenly lifted Cade and backtossed him over the top to the outside. Shawn Michaels then rushed into the ring and got into it with his former best friend, eventually winning the fight and irishwhipping Trips. When the Game came back, Michaels merely ducked under him and ran the other way. They came back again and met at the center of the ring, where Michaels took Trips down with a flying forearm smash. Shawn covered the Game, who kicked out after the two. They both got up, Michaels hit Trips with a couple of clotheslines, then a scoop slam. Shawn went up top, going for that Heartbreak Elbow off the top, but Triple H rolled out of the way.

Lance Cade then ran straight into the ring, before Triple H could get back up, and issued a few stomps to the Game. He stomped Trips all the way to the outside, then came down after him to roll him in the ring and get back in. Cade covered Trips, and got only a two count out of it. The Refined Southern Gentleman then began to complain to the referee, saying that it was three, while Shawn Michaels, finally got up and screamed at his former pupil to get in the game and stop whining, before walking back to his corner. Cade took that comment to heart, and now proceeded to forearm away at Trips' back before the Game could fully get up. Eventually, though, Trips burst up and pushed Cade away, knocking him down back to the other side of the ropes. A scared Cade got up and quickly tagged in the Showstopper before he could get hurt. Michaels and Triple H looked at each other now, having a staredown in the middle of the ring. The two former Kliq/Degeneration X best friends now got to trading punches, an argument that Shawn Michaels won, to fans' delight. He irishwhipped Triple H, who hung onto the ropes to stop himself and head out for awhile. Despite the jeers from the audience at this, that was a good move, as the Game had a little time to recover himself. However, it didn't exactly work, because Michaels shot himself over the top rope into a cross body on Triple H. Lance Cade, meanwhile, was smiling at Shawn's successful move, but not even doing anything.

When we came back from commercial break, Shawn Michaels had Triple H reeling and on the ropes. Trips was down on the ground crawling towards a corner, Michaels walking towards him. Shawn eventually picked up Triple H by the head, then irishwhipped him from corner to corner, after which Trips suddenly fell down and started favoring his knee. Michaels immediately became concerned, as no one likes to see even their opponent injured under normal circumstances. Shawn and the referee came closer and looked on worried. The referee asked Trips if he was okay. Lance Cade looked on with equal concern etched on his face, though not stepping through the ropes to get in and ask about it. Then, Triple H let go of the knee, tripped Shawn Michaels flat on his back by taking one of the legs from the shin, got right back up, and stomped Michaels' midsection, a questionable move the fans did not like. This began a period of control for Triple H which involved choke holds, Harley Race knees, scoop slams, and headlocks. Speaking of which, one of said headlocks, Shawn Michaels got out of, but he could not successfully run to the ropes before Triple H got him and pulled him down by the hair. Trips walked around the ring now, partially catching his breath a little bit, partially displaying his calm dominance to the people. Trips then waited for Michaels to get back up before hitting him with a couple of stiff right hands in the corner. Michaels then went on a quick flurry of right hands to escape the corner, and one ended up knocking down the Cerebral Assassin. The Heartbreak Kid then went to the outside after Triple H, who hit him square in the face, knocking him down. Lance Cade suddenly decided to rush into the ring to exit on the other side with a baseball slide on Triple H, earning a few cheers from the crowd and blasting the King of Kings right onto the guardrail. The unlikely union of student and teacher seemed to be working effectively.

After the referee's ring out count for to seven, Shawn Michaels got up and rolled in. The count broke. Triple H followed suit. Shawn hit Trips with a right hand, but took a thumb to the eye right afterwards. Michaels ended up with his throat against the second rope. Trips applied his knee to choke his former homey between knee and rope. When the referee's disqualification count reached four, Trips let go, and Michaels went down. Then, Trips choked Michaels' throat down with his hand. Again, referee counted to four, Trips let go. The Game then got in a facelock on Michaels, who, after some willpower from himself and from the fans, got up and out of it. He leaned forward against the ropes after a while, but then went for Sweet Chin Music. Triple H saw it coming, so he blocked it, then tried the old snap and roll. Michaels, though, used the momentum to hit Trips with a spinning leg lariat! Michaels, using more of his heart, managed to tag in Lance Cade right before Triple H got up. Cade, though, went in after Trips and missed with a clothesline, which Trips ducked under. Triple H then kicked Lance Cade in the midsection and got him in the Pedigree! Trips came over to the almost up Shawn Michaels and kicked him down to the outside, then covered Cade. 1, 2, 3!

"Here is your winner, Triple H!"

As Lilian Garcia shouted this out, Triple H got his hand raised by the referee, then went up to the turnbuckle and raised his hand out in that trademark pose saying that he is the Game. He was suddenly met from nowhere by screaming fans and a flurrying John Cena! Cena had Trips cowering in the corner! It was amazing! Cena eventually took Trips and irishwhipped him… straight into a Spear from Edge! Edge and Cena then stared each other down, and then went punching away at one another uncontrollably! This was as rough a fight as Edge vs. Matt Hardy! The referees and other officials had to arrive and separate the two men. In the meantime, Triple H got something from underneath the ring. Cena and Edge managed to break away from the officials and get on each other, before getting restrained again, which Trips took advantage of to nail Cena in the head with a sledgehammer! He was about to do the other deed to Edge, when Lita suddenly grabbed the hammer. Trips jerked it away from her, then put it down and stalked away at her. He came towards her, and she was crawling herself away from him. Then, he grabbed her, forcefully rolled her into the ring, slid in himself, grabbed her up by the hair before she could get away, and planted a major kiss on her, right in front of Edge! Lita was stunned and breathless at the effects, which included the "slut" chants. Edge finally jerked himself free from the restraining WWE officials and went for another Spear on Triple H, but the Game sidestepped it, and the Queen of Extreme wound up getting Speared unconscious by her own boyfriend! Edge saw it, and looked completely shocked, like he was about to explode in tears. Triple H licked his lips and smiled, before leaving the ring. Fans once again reacted however they wished. Many cheered, yet still, many jeered. The Game left the ring and walked up the ramp, confident as ever. John Cena is lain bloody on the outside. Lita's got the wind knocked out of her inside the ring. Edge is kneeling at Lita's side, prepared at any moment to burst in either rage or tears. Three words Triple H had to be thinking in his mind:

"This is Evolution."


	12. No 1 Contender

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 12_**  
_Title: No. 1 Contender_  
Show: Friday Night Smackdown (1/20/2006)  
Summary: A #1 contender is decided for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship; Randy Orton is not present on the show.

Batista was in his locker room, having just arrived at the arena. He successfully defended his World Heavyweight Title last week in the very battle royal he came up with to punish himself for not showing up at that house show the night of New Year's Revolution. Looking up in the sky, he thought about Eddie Guerrero, the man who fueled the honor, dedication, and success of his actions that night. He knew Eddie was smiling upon him, and he smiled right back. A sudden knock on his door interrupted his memorial moment with his heavenly friend.

"Come in," he said, back within his right frame. There were two men there. Those two men were his good friends, Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio.

"Hey, what's up guys?" Batista asked the two smaller men before him.

"What happened is, Batista, I was in love with that battle royal we had last week," Rey began. "I mean, when you look at my position, I wasn't half bad. If you're in this room, it's either I beat you or you won that battle royal."

"What the hell are you saying? That you're better than me?" Matt quickly interjected, slightly offended by Rey's insinuation.

"No, Matt. I'm just saying I did real great. You did, too. You just went after Mark Henry by yourself first," Rey clarified, soothing his friend. "Anyway, look at the way you handled it like a champion. When I got eliminated, tossed out by Mark Henry, I was afraid that Eddie Guerrero wasn't gonna get proper recognition from the player that won the game. But I guess I was wrong, man. Thanks for gettin' the job done in his name."

"You got it. But let's not dwell on it enough to cry. He wouldn't like that. Anyway, that's why you came over here?" Batista asked.

"No. I want to find out how everything's goin' as far as Evolution," Rey said, changing the subject with a sly smile on his face. Batista caught on and laughed a little bit.

"I see you're trying to get me to talk. Well, I don't mind you trying, but you're not getting any information out of Big Dave that you couldn't already figure out from knowing the secret subplot and paying attention to what's going on in WWE TV land," Batista replied grinning. This was getting a little fun, making his friends figure it out. But then, it looked so obvious what they were doing, that if you knew the word "Evolution" had anything to do with it, you knew enough to foil the whole plan if you so whimmed. But that is not the modus operandi of Rey Mysterio and Matt Hardy.

When the show began, Theodore R. Long came out to the ring to make an important announcement.

"Holla holla holla! Welcome to WWE's flagship show, Friday Night Smackdown!" Theodore hollered to the audience, earning some pops. "Now, ladies and gentlemen, we know all about that victory last week by Batista in the middle of this Smackdown ring. And I've got to say, he was a man of his word. He compensated for not showing up at that house show, he defended his championship by being #23 in a ring of 23 men. And at the end of the day, he is still Smackdown's World Heavyweight Champion! (yeah!) Now, tonight, since Batista is a great and fighting champion, I had an idea about who to make the #1 contender that he would defend his World Heavyweight Championship against at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view coming up in just nine days from the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida. The only problem with that original idea is that one of the possible contenders in this idea, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton, is not in the arena for Smackdown tonight. (boo!) However, the other part of my idea is still good to go. It will be the last four eliminated competitors in that battle royal that are present tonight, in a fatal four way to determine the #1 contender for the World Championship. These competitors are Chris Benoit (yeah!), Kurt Angle (yeah!), Mark Henry (boo.), and Rey Mysterio (yeah!)!"

Teddy Long's music came on, as the General Manager of Smackdown left the area to the sounds of an applauding audience. Later on that night, in the main event, was that very four way contest. At this point, all the three smaller competitors were down as Mark Henry dominated, much to the glee of Melina. When the Chocolate Mountain finished posing, he came over to Mysterio and picked him up by the masked head, lifting him all the way into powerbomb position. Mysterio, though, manage to bite and punch his way out of it and get down to roll to the outside. Henry walked against the ropes to say something to the Human Highlight Reel on the outside, but Rey never really listened a lot. Henry turned around after a few seconds, only to get some semblance of an Olympic Slam from Kurt Angle! Now, Henry was down along with Angle and Benoit! Mysterio looked at the members of the ring, then he started smiling. The fans knew what was going on, and they cheered on Mysterio. He then did a little shimmy, then beat his chest with his right hand and pointed upstairs. Everyone knew what this signified, and everyone cheered their ass off. He went on the apron, climbed up to the turnbuckle, and was now froggy. He then went for the Latino Heat Frog Splash, and hit Mark Henry with it! Mysterio had a cover. 1… 2… Henry suddenly sat up, with Mysterio in his arms! While carrying Mysterio, Henry got up by rolling backwards 270°, then hit Mysterio in that military press slam, the World's Strongest Slam! Chris Benoit at that point just got up. He broke up Henry's cover before a count of one could even be made, then tied up Henry's legs around one of his own for the Bret Hart trademark Sharpshooter! Henry had a bit of a hard time escaping the move, which Benoit could get on almost as well as the Hitman himself. The people were frenzied at the chance that they could see this. Kurt Angle suddenly nipped up, like Brock Lesnar or Shawn Michaels would, and hit Benoit to break up the play. He then turned the Rabid Wolverine over so he could be on his stomach, then lowered the straps and hit the Ankle Lock on Benoit! After a minute of anticipation and increasing pain and pressure, Benoit managed to reach the ropes. Angle just pulled back Benoit, when he felt a hard forearm take his back and force him to break the hold. Henry, the perpetrator, then basically kicked Angle and Benoit out of the ring, before scooping up Mysterio, hitting the World's Strongest Slam on him again, and getting the cover for the 1, 2, 3.

"Here is your winner, and the new #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, 'the World's Strongest Man' Mark Henry!" shouted the announcer Tony Chimel as Henry had his hands raised by the referee and Melina. He didn't even have to cheat. He then took a microphone.

"Dave Batista, I told you I'm gonna become the next World Heavyweight Champion. What? You thought these three were gonna beat me? Expected your masked son over here to be the man?" Henry asked, cockily taunting at the guys he just had to beat, as well as his next opponent. "Well, you expected wrong. See, I'm the man. I'm the World's Strongest Man. And I'm the next World Heavyweight-"

Batista's music finally excited the crowd and shut Mark Henry up! The Animal ran out, ready to fight, and came at Henry fists-a-flying! He eventually irishwhipped Henry, then allowed him to come back, only to duck underneath him, slide out of the ring, and get a table from underneath it! Batista set up the table just on the outside, and then quickly got back into the ring. Henry came lunging after Batista, who ducked underneath, ran to the ropes, and came right back with a clothesline on Henry which sent him over the top and through the apron to the outside! The Animal did his thumbs down pose, as well as that Ultimate Warrior rope taunt, as his music came back on. The fans cheered as the hyped up World Champion proved that he was prepared to defend his title in nine days at the Royal Rumble! But why was Randy Orton absent?


	13. A Brand Breakthrough

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 13_**  
_Title: A Brand Breakthrough_  
Show: TNA Saturday Night Impact (1/21/2006)  
Summary: The next Total Nonstop Action NWA Heavyweight Championship match is subject to a completely unforeseen twist of fate.

"Hello? Dix? I officially bailed on my team. I'm ready to go."

Somebody left Total Nonstop Action president Dixie Carter with those exact words. But that did not exactly matter at the moment. The entire buzz around in the Total Nonstop Action locker room was surrounding that appearance by Sting at the Final Resolution pay-per-view a few weeks back. Sting was apparently nowhere to be found tonight, though. For some reason, it looked as if he'd never shown up, as if that sensation they got was just a great feel for one night. However, they knew that it was true, and that Sting's presence was a sight that TNA would never forget. Especially Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown. They were the guys who basically got their asses kicked in by the Man in Black. But tonight, there were bigger things to worry about, as the TNA Championship Committee's public representative, Larry Zbyszko, stood in the middle of the ring to tell us.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I come here with good news and bad news. The bad news is, I am sorry to inform you that the man called Sting will not be in the arena tonight. He unfortunately got held up flying back to Orlando and could not make it to tonight's Impact," Larry said, cutting off all expectation of Sting. Fans booed at the thought that they couldn't get to see him tonight. "However, the good news is, at least for everyone behind the rail, that Jeff Jarrett's NWA Heavyweight Championship could well be in trouble. Because ladies and gentlemen, it is the first ever 'special insert' six sides elimination match, and the competitors are 'the King of the Mountain' Jeff Jarrett, 'the Man Beast' Rhino, 'the Alpha Male' Monty Brown, 'the Monster' Abyss, 'the Truth' Ron Killings, and 'Captain Charisma' Christian Cage! And the last man standing will walk out the exact same way that Jeff Jarrett walks in: the NWA Heavyweight Champion of the World!"

As we can imagine, the crowd went wild, and one man went to complain to Larry Zbyszko immediately.

"Larry, what the hell is this? I just got my head kicked in running Sting out of TNA, and now I have to deal with this? A six sides elimination match for my title? These competitors never earned their shots!" the complaining Double J immediately spat at Zbyszko in his office.

"From what I understand, all five of these men have beaten or outlasted you in a match somewhere in TNA history, except for maybe Abyss, and even he could destroy you if he wanted to. So, they did earn it," the living legend countered.

"And what the hell is a special insert?" Jarrett demanded, busting forward, causing Larry to freeze and back up a little bit.

"I don't know that! Upper management never told me!" Larry pleadingly informed his confronter.

"It's like I said before. TNA management's running this place to try to take me down, and I'm sick of it," Jarrett finally said before walking off. He was met right outside the office door, however, by Christian Cage, leading to a cheering Impact Zone audience.

"Hey, Jeff. Sounds like you're scared to get in the ring with me," Christian began. "Well, guess what. It's gonna happen. The King of the Mountain faces Captain Charisma, along with four other men, for the NWA's new World Heavyweight Championship. I finally have the opportunity to fulfill my destiny."

"Yeah, and I suppose you're gonna win because you finally have a chance not to be the only loser in your dynasty?" Jeff asked, irking a curiosity within Christian.

"What the hell are you talking about?" the charismatic one then asked his hated rival.

"You're the only one without a Championship between you and your buddies Edge and Angle," Jarrett answered.

"Shut up! They have nothing to do with it," Christian quickly interjected, not losing any resolve in the process. "You see, I came to TNA because I want guys like them to have nothing to do with me. Guys like Vince McMahon, pulling things out of a mannequin of another grown man's ass who busted his ass off to make WWE sound as good as it looked, fire that man, and replace him with the worst announcer in world history, just so somebody could embarrass the announce table to satisfy his own ego. And with Tenay and West, we don't have that here. Guys like that Caribbean afro sucker who can't stop spitting apples in people's faces even if it's a hot girl. Guys like Kurt Angle, who come with their Olympic gold and think that no matter what they do, that puts them above everyone else in character, so they infiltrate championship pictures, kiss the chairman's ass, and spend their careers sucking and trying to steal people's wives! Guys like Edge, who claim to be best friends with myself as well as another cool guy in the locker room, only to forsake their own wife and steal that other guy's girlfriend in secret for two years, basically turn her into his ho, and screw the other best friend out of his love life, three months of his job, and his credibility within the company, right in front of my face, and make me sick! That's one of the reasons I left WWE, then came to TNA! So those jackasses not only are no longer 'higher' than me, but now, they have nothing to do with me! The other reason I came to TNA was to get the damn respect I deserve, by taking that NWA Heavyweight Title and fulfilling my own destiny as a champion, because that's how I roll!" Following this passionate lecture to the man who could soon be the _former_ NWA Heavyweight Champion, Christian stared him down one minute before leaving.

Meanwhile, "the Monster" Abyss was receiving match instructions from "the Sinister Minister" James Mitchell within the boiler room. Mitchell stopped all of a sudden, because he saw in front of him Monty Brown.

"Abyss. 'Father' Mitchell," Brown started.

"What do you want, to congratulate Abyss, the Weapon of Mass Destruction, on soon becoming the NWA Heavyweight Champion? Because if not, I suggest you leave before you get eliminated from the match early," Mitchell immediately warned Brown.

"Well, actually, I came here to talk about a deal. A deal that would make either the Master of Tacks over here or me earn that distinction," Monty began. "Here's what we do. Since Jeff Jarrett often talks about how we never got our respect, how we never got any opportunity at a rematch before guys like Rhino, and Christian Cage, and Team 3D, ransacked their way into our wild jungle that is TNA, I've decided, Abyss, that you and I should join forces, align together, team up to take all four of them out. Rhino, Christian, Killings, and Jeff Jarrett. Once we take care of each one of those losers, then one of us may represent the Serengetti as the new NWA Heavyweight Champion."

"!" Abyss screamed in approval, muffled by his mask, doing his usual pose before extending his hand towards Monty Brown. The Alpha Male shook it, and it looks like we've got an alliance. Now, onto the NWA Heavyweight Championship match itself.

The first elimination was made about seven minutes into the match. As Monty Brown and Abyss double teamed on Christian Cage, and Jeff Jarrett was faced up against Rhyno, who had just hit him with a charging shoulder tackle to one of the six turnbuckles. Monty and Abyss double teamed Christian and sent him out of the octagonal circle over the top rope. They then turned around to face Ron "the Truth" Killings. Abyss was about to splash right into the man, when he suddenly ducked it and ran towards the ropes on the other side, then came back with a spinning flying attack on Monty Brown, knocking down the Alpha Male! Killings then hit an enzuiguri on Abyss, knocking him clean reeling over the top! Jarrett was finally knocked down by Rhyno, who saw Monty Brown just getting up, and was all so prepared to hand over the Gore to one of his foolish opponents. The plan did not work out as well as it should have, however. Monty sidestepped the Gore, and it hit Ron Killings! Rhino almost thought he made a mistake, but all he did was hit another opponent, other than the one he intended to hit. So, he covered Killings. 1… 2… 3. No more Breakdancing Weapon.

Elimination #2 was more pure and simple, as well as led to the turning point of the match. Rhino, Christian Cage, and Jeff Jarrett realized Monty Brown and Abyss's alliance, following numerous double team attacks on each guy, so they finally put their pride aside to take down the twin titans. Rhino and Christian left the ring, allowing Jarrett to stand in the middle all by himself. He then dared both of Abyss and Brown to come at him, and when they did, he took one step back, and they ended up bonking each other straight in the head! Rhino tripped Monty down and took him out of the ring, then got back up and in the ring, while Christian tripped up Abyss a little bit. The Monster then turned around to a big Gore and pinned 1, 2, 3 by the glory hound Jeff Jarrett! The last part got people booing, as Jarrett celebrated his ass off in the ring. Monty Brown got up and, angry, came straight into the ring, where Rhino and Christian then ganged up on him so he could see what it feels like! They came at him with simultaneous right hands as he rushed at them, then repeated this one more time, then hit him with a double team arm drag the third time he returned! Christian thumped his chest and pointed to his Peeps, which meant he was on surge. He then got behind Monty and waited for him to get up, then hit him with that finishing move of his, the Unprettier. At the same time, Jarrett turned on the operation and hit Rhino with the Stroke! Both men covered their victims, and in a sense, they teamed up. The 1, 2, 3 eliminated both Brown and Rhino.

Then, the two enemies, Jarrett and Cage, stood up, and faced one another. They finally went fist to fist, face to face, in an NWA Title match, and the fans loved every second of it. Christian got the advantage and eventually irishwhipped Jeff and meeting him upon return with an inverted atomic drop, then running and coming back with a clothesline. Jarrett got back up, and took another one. Then came yet a third. Finally, Christian deviated from this with a great missile drop-kick! The ensuing cover resulted in 1… 2… and a kick out! Christian then picked Jarrett up and tried an irishwhip, except with a pull back right after the release, so Jarrett immediately stopped. Christian hit another missile drop-kick, and Jarrett rolled out of the ring as Christian's Peeps cheered him on. Jarrett eventually got back on the apron, and was suplexed into the ring. Christian then went up top and hit the Latino Heat Frog Splash. Cover. 1… 2… kickout by Jarrett! How did he pull that off? Afterwards, Jarrett started holding onto the referee. Christian knew what Jeff was trying to do and did not bite. The King of the Mountain soon let go of the ref and charged after Christian, who sidestepped the lunge, stopped behind Jarrett, and connected with the Unprettier! 1… 2… 3! But wait a minute… someone's coming…

After the pin fall was a success, Christian raised his hands up in the air along with the TNA fans, who knew that he finally accomplished the feat of dethroning Jeff Jarrett from the NWA Heavyweight Championship of the World. But after turning around, he found himself right in the clutches of a high leaping cutter! He was then covered, 1… 2… 3! The bell rang, and the following announcement from Jeremy Borash shocked the entire world of wrestling.

"Here is the special insert and your winner in this match, as well as the new NWA Heavyweight Champion of the World, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton!"

Yes, we heard right! The Legend Killer is now the NWA Heavyweight Champion! He was the special insert! He was the defector from WWE to TNA! This was why he didn't show up on Smackdown!

The Legend Killer was then handed the NWA Title, and he knelt down and held it in his arms, just looking at it. He then finally looked at the crowd and had a great smile on his face. He placed the title belt on his shoulder, and yelled out, "I'm the champ!" Some of the fans jeered, because this was Christian Cage's opportunity and destiny, taken away from him by the Man of Destiny, who as far as they know has no reason for being here. Yet now he's on one of TNA's turnbuckles, with the Championship around his waist, wearing black T-shirt and pants of no insignia whatsoever, doing his trademark pose of glory. Mike Tenay said that he knew that Randy Orton talked to Dixie Carter based on the fact that he is the special insert of the match. He and Don West basically concluded, during Randy's little feast of pride and championship, that either Dixie allowed a major coup from WWE to jump right into her laps, or she just made a rare business mistake and let her guard down on a WWE Superstar, leaving him free room to come in and unseed the NWA Heavyweight Championship from Total Nonstop Action, as well as stunt Christian Cage's destiny. The only problem is, the future will tell all. And according to what Randy knew, the fans were obviously thinking one or the other. If that was indeed the case, they were way off.


	14. Allies Under Question

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 14_**  
_Title: Allies Under Question_  
Show: Monday Night Raw (1/23/2006)  
Summary: Edge and John Cena compete in a tag team match against each other as Triple H contemplates one member of his team.

Triple H, John Cena, and WWE Heavyweight Champion Edge have all been summoned by WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to be inside his office for some reason. As they awaited Mr. McMahon, who was out on business as usual, the three competitors who would meet at the Royal Rumble for Edge's WWE Championship looked crossly at each other. There was nothing short of hatred etched on each and every face. Finally, after five minutes, Vincent Kennedy McMahon re-entered his house running quarters.

"Gentlemen," he said as he walked past them to stand in front of his office desk. "Glad you could make it here and not trash my office."

"Wasn't exactly easy with these two in here," Cena shot in.

"Thank you very much, now can I please begin?" Vince asked, annoyed at the interruption. Cena nodded. Vince continued. "I have a match set up prior to New Year's Revolution. However, only two of you can be in it. It is a 'Pick Your Partner' tag team match. Now, here's the way it works. One of you will not be involved in this match, and will be barred from ringside during the match. We will decide that by way of two coins, which I will throw onto my desk. If both coins land on heads, Edge will not be in the match. If both coins are tails, John Cena will not be in the match. If the sides are different, then Triple H will not be in the match. How's that sound?"

"So, what you're sayin' is, any one of us could get an opportunity to not compete tonight and scout the other two in this 'Pick Your Partner' match, and you're gonna decide who it is wit' two coins?" Cena asked with a quizzical look on his face. The Doctor of Thuganomics didn't exactly seem too sure of this.

"Doesn't sound like an original McMahon Plan if you ask me," Edge said. Sounds like for once, those two guys can agree on something.

"I don't feel like an original McMahon Plan right now," Vince countered the insubordinate employees' complaints. "I just hope two of you are ready to earn your stripes. Because if anyone sucks, they're out! Besides, while the rest could be a stamina advantage, it could also be a momentum and adrenaline disadvantage. So, this is actually a game of chance from start to finish."

Vince then took two coins out of his pocket and flipped each of them onto the table. The first one, he saw, was heads. Edge smiled, knowing that John Cena was the one who was going to be in the match just from that. But then, the smile came right back to Cena, as Vince saw the second coin was tails. Triple H was out.

"Thank you, gentlemen, and good bye. And as Mick Foley would say, have a nice day."

Mr. McMahon's subjects left with that sendoff. As Edge and Cena almost burst into a fight, Trips laughed at them and walked off. He then left the arena and called someone on the phone.

"Hey, great job out there Saturday night. I can't wait until the Royal Rumble. Catch you at the big show, alright? Good."

He then started thinking about something. Triple H has an entire Iverson roster set up, yet lately, he's had his doubts about one of the members. Sure, the group's got every Title but his own, but is everyone the best for the job? He decided that he'll deal with those thoughts after tonight's show. Ric Flair was coming back, not to compete in a match, but to make a slight appearance, and he wanted to make sure that Flair didn't get himself into too much trouble.

Miss Jackie was relaxing with her Women's Championship in her locker room, when Victoria suddenly barged in, in a really bad mood.

"Hey, Jackie," Victoria greeted, the anger becoming obvious through her voice.

"Victoria. What are you doing here?" Jackie demanded, standing up to her rival.

"What the hell did you do with Mr. McMahon?" Victoria suddenly asked, surprising Jackie a small bit. "I just heard that you are defending your Women's Championship in a five woman over the top battle royal/one fall to the finish challenge match, and it doesn't have me in it!"

"Who does it have?" a curious Jackie asked.

"Trish Stratus, Mickie James, Ashley, and guess who else: Lita. But maybe you already knew or I shouldn't have told you that," Victoria replied.

"Lita?" Jackie repeated in surprise

"You needed to be punished for Triple H causing Edge to Spear Lita. Or, you were confident that that Spear was going to make her a liability you could take advantage of, so you seduced Mr. McMahon into getting her in this and not me," Victoria explained with the same angry face. Jackie's mouth gaped open and her eyes widened in shock as she heard the accusations.

"Victoria, enough. You can barge in here and get angry about this match not having you in it. I hardly even knew anything about it. But if you're gonna say I'm doing what your fellow Skanketeers do with Mr. McMahon, as if everyone did, you'll have to deal with me in the ring," Jackie stated. "I'm guessing all this is you challenging me for my Title tonight because you don't have the chance at the Royal Rumble. Looks like I accept."

"Fine. Just prepare to be the ex-Women's Champion."

Before the actual beginning of the show, Edge and Lita had a movie trailer featuring some of the things he'd been doing lately, and talking about how at the Royal Rumble, he was going to take them "To the Edge". The show began, of course, with Edge and Lita coming out to the ring and accepting the world's worth of jeers while flaunting their relationship. Joey Styles and Jerry Lawler mentioned Edge and Cena's "Pick Your Partner" tag team match against each other.

"Coming soon to a WrestleMania near you, the Rated R Superstar, the WWE Heavyweight Champion, EDGE!" Lita shouted, again introducing Edge with pride, and the people hating her. She then gave Edge her microphone, and the smiling Sparks Man began talking.

"There, you just saw that movie trailer previewing 'To the Edge', the movie that I will be starring in through my successful defense against John Cena and Triple H at the Royal Rumble," Edge began. "All I know is, Triple H and Cena are sub-cast members. I will go through both of them and retain my spot on top of this business, whether you people like it or not! (boo!) Throughout my career, I've been a great Champion, and I've also been a ridiculed underdog. I made it up in this business the hard way. First, I had to deal with that chumpstain tag team partner Christian, and I don't know why I'm calling him that, because we had a lot of fun, and we grew up together. Hence part of why we called ourselves brothers. Then, I went on my own, winning several Tag Team Titles with others, including my hero 'the Immortal' Hulk Hogan, (yeah! (finally)) winning Intercontinental Titles, US Titles, and the end of my time teaming with Christian basically stemmed around me winning King of the Ring in 2001. Christian had a little success too, but not as much as me. Hence why I say I carried the team. Soon after Kane took Lita away from Matt Hardy, I finally got tired of the crap that was going on. Lita was being forced to be with Kane. I was continuing to get overlooked as far as the World Heavyweight Championship. So I did all I could to finally step up and be in the picture, and you people stopped cheering me from that point forward. As angry as that would have made me about five years ago, I enjoyed it, and I'm continuing to enjoy it now. (boo!) Especially after the love triangle fiasco restarted my rivalry with Matt Hardy and made it personal between him and me, I get to be the grand asshole of this company. And just like those McDonald's commercials say, I'm lovin' it! (boo!) But listen to me. I am the WWE Heavyweight Champion, and it is going to stay that way. I won the WWE Title by going to the edge of the rules with my Money in the Bank contract. Hence why even though it's gone, my people still call me Mr. Money in the Bank! (boo.) I had live sex celebration written all over two weeks ago, until Triple H and his damn sledgehammer came into the picture. What is it, Hunter? What's goin' on, Trips? Huh? Are you jealous of me and Lita because you used to have something like this? Or do you somehow think you're gonna make me be a transitional champion like Mick Foley or the Iron Sheik? (boo.) That's right. They were transitional champions! They won the WWE Title for one week and were never heard from again! Not like me! Maybe my two challengers forgot, but I did once state on Raw that when I cash in my Money in the Bank, the resulting WWE Championship reign would last longer than all sixteen of Ric Flair's reigns combined! This match will be my crowning achievement. Forget the rivalry with Matt Hardy! Forget me and Lita screwing him twice! Forget the Awesomeness Dynasty of Edge & Christian! In six nights, I, Adam ' 'the Rated R Superstar' Edge' Copeland, will finally etch my name into the history of this business!"

Almost as soon as he said that, Triple H's music started up, much to the glee of the fans. The Game came out, dressed in a fancy suit again, and walked all the way to the bottom of the ramp before using the microphone in his hand to speak.

"Now, Edge. Can you or someone you know please explain to me how you're not the one eating crap all day in the locker room instead of the Boogeyman?" Trips asked, beginning his piece to this promo with some laughter for the crowd. "You're over here mentioning Matt Hardy and Christian as if they were a big deal. I know you live off being booed, Edge, but your heat from Hardy, and your talk about carrying the Creepy Little Bastard through the first seven something years of your professional careers ain't gonna get you anywhere. Last I recall, however, both you and Matt Hardy lost some fans from that. You and the ho over here lost about at least 80 of your Edge Army because you'd been secretly sneaking around and betraying your commitments to Lisa Ortiz and to Matt Hardy for… well, actually, I'm not even sure whether it was three months or two years anymore, but I don't give a crap about that now because it doesn't concern me. And Matt Hardy, in an attempt to rally on his Mattitude Followers to bring him back, basically took a trip to the 'Waahmbulance' strategy. Anyone who didn't side with him was against him for that, and still has lost a tremendous amount of respect for Matt Hardy. Hell, there are even some people who turned off the TV or changed station to stop watching Raw the minute you two came on trying to kill each other again and again during the show. (mixed reactions) Oh, and as for you not being a transitional champion: I severely question that. I mean, weren't you the guy who won his first Intercontinental Championship at a house show against that crap stain from TNA, Jeff Jarrett, and then lost it the very next night on Raw? (cheers and laughs) (a flustered Edge begins mouthing off in anger back inside the ring) You were the Intercontinental Champion in 1999 for one day! From what I know, you're the most transitional Intercontinental Champion in wrestling history! Anyway, at the Royal Rumble, it is time for the Game to finally arise once again! The King of Kings will get back on his throne for the first time since WrestleMania 21! I will become an 11-time Heavyweight Champion, and you will once again be known as a transitional champion! And based on the kinda contact you two have been having in this ring since getting rid of Matt Hardy, I'd have to judge and say that you're also gonna be a transitional lover soon."

John Cena's music attacked next, sending the crowd into an absolute frenzy! The Doctor of Thuganomics then came out, decked in his Word Life cap, along with one of his Chain Gang shirts and jeans, getting the crowd to pump up with his own adrenaline. In the midst of that, he finally spoke with his own microphone in hand.

"Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte, Charlotte! How's it goin', everybody! Stand up!" Cena blasted out, leading to another pop from the streets. "You see these people whoopin' and hollerin' out here, guys? Trips, Edge, this ain't for you. This for da man who's gonna become WWE Champion again! And that is me! But then again, I saw da movie trailer for 'To the Edge', and man, I gotta say, that movie is big. But not only did I see the preview like everybody else saw, but I also got a bootleg copy o' da movie, you know what I'm sayin? (yeah!) And you're right. Every single thing you guys mentioned here is in this. It's got a lotta history in there! I mean, first, it shows these two immature young boys from Toronto comin' up in the business, playin' vampire wit' a washed up Gothic Dracula, joinin' an evil cult and worshippin' a 'dark god' for no apparent reason, then finally breakin' off from all that and winnin' seven Tag Team Titles together, against another couple of crazy boys, plus some old guys that them boys had to face. Then, it shows one of 'em gettin' crowned. Royalty. Jealousy. Hatred. Betrayal. Fightin' between the two. Then, they finally break their separate ways, have their separate success, but finally got over the grudge and still talkin' to each other a lil' bit. Finally, the older boy makes friends with one of the crazy boys. He then goes on to abuse that friendship in the typical storyline of 'boy meets ho'. (yea haha!) (Edge and Lita start talking trash off the mic again) While he and the crazy boy's ho are both out wit' neck injuries, they get in touch, and begin to fool around. Then, they make their comebacks, and it eventually leads to revelation and greatness. They got Money in the Bank. They claimed a Gold Rush. They successfully screwed another man's career and love life. Then, they got it all. The WWE Title. A live sex celebration in the middle of the ri… oh, yeah, Triple H screwed that. (haha.) Then, the boy and his ho go to Miami. The Royal Rumble. A triple threat defense of the WWE Heavyweight Championship. The boy's opponents are a thug and an assassin. Everybody's watchin' to see the now hated boy overcome adversity. The match then turns out to be just between the thug and the assassin, cause the boy steps into the middle of the ring and proceeds to take the worst ass kicking of his entire life!" (yeah!)

"That's just not gonna happen, Cena!" Edge yelled out in hopes of interrupting Cena's speech.

"Oh, oh, and I know you don't want me to spoil the ending, but then it goes way left. You never woulda seen it comin'," Cena continued to fanatic delight despite the Ballistic AC going… well, ballistic, in the ring. "The thug then beats the assassin (Triple H stops smiling) in a hard fought battle which sees the boy get no chance in hell. (Edge has on his angry face) The boy loses the WWE Title. He loses his main event spot. The recognition that took fifteen years and takin' somebody else's chick and turnin' her into his ho!… is gone. And tragically, he even loses his ho. (yea haha!) (Edge and Lita complain in the ring again) Turns out, she slips and falls in love with either the boy's disappointed hero Hulk 'Ho'gan, or Hacksaw Jim Duggan. fans chant along here HOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"Okay, shut up!" Lita finally yelled through hers and Edge's microphone. For her own trouble, the young redhead ended up having to suffer through "You's a ho!" chants, upsetting even further the already upset look on her face. "Now, I really don't know who this 'ho' is you speak of. (you!) All I do know, Cena, is that you and Edge each have to select different partners tonight, and the Game here cannot be in there at all! And I know that the champ won't have any trouble finding a partner. On the other hand, nobody wants to be friends with John Cena. Oh, but John: if you can't seem to find anyone to play with, maybe you should just pick me so you can look like you have a partner, or maybe you can just play with yourself."

"Yeah, sounds like she got ya there, huh?" Trips laughed, as the fans were in awe at the diss from Lita.

"Actually, naw, I can't play wit' you, cause I don't play wit' nobody that sucks, ya feel me?" Cena answered back, leading to more cheers. Lita finally shrugged something off.

"Hey, hey, I just came up with something. Lita, you insert Edge into your mouth every night, right? Well, all things considered, congratulations. It seems we finally got you to let something of substance go _out_ of your mouth," Trips joked. Continuing to be haggled with how much of a tramp she is, Lita, along with Edge, finally got frustrated enough to demand an end to the jokes.

"Yeah, you're right. Enough jokes. You gave us a preview? Well, tonight, I'm about to give my own preview of what's about to happen at the Royal Rumble," Cena said. It seems there's a lot of Chain Gang soldiers. They're blasting off about everything he's saying. "Just be careful, Triple H, you ain't ready for this. And Edge, even though you're standin' next to a little bitch, this Sunday at the Rumble, I'm gon' make you _my_ little bitch."

"And then, Edge, courtesy of the Game, you're gonna go from 'Rated R Superstar' to 'Rated G'," Trips continued the story, of course his way. "'G' for 'gone', the WWE Title. 'G' for 'gold', which your transitional champion screwball headed little ass will never see again. 'G' for 'gonorrhea', which is a little present your ho's gonna leave behind. And 'G' for 'Game', because the next WWE Champion is the Game, and he is that damn good."

"Yo, you messed up on the story there a lil' bit. It says 'the thug beats the assassin'," Cena corrected the Game.

"I think that's where you got a little mixed up," Trips replied.

"I am not a transitional champion," Edge said out of nowhere, earning a "Transit Man!" chant. "Shut up! I am not a transitional champion!"

"I think you two are the only ones in the arena who feel that way," Cena pointed out to Edge and Lita based on the crowd reactions. "Anyway, I'm out. Catch you in the ring later, transitional champion. A-HAAA!"

As Cena's theme song came on, the Doctor of Thuganomics left. Edge and Lita were seething in frustration. Trips merely shook his head and sighed at these idiots. The crowd was relishing in every single bit of it.

Almost immediately afterwards, Vince McMahon's sly spirit devil girls were all in his office.

"So, ladies, what can I do for you?" Vince asked. Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, and Victoria were all so hot. But in this case, one was very angry.

"Where is my title match? I thought I told you about an hour ago that Jackie accepted my challenge!" Victoria yelled out.

"I'm sorry, Victoria, but you and Miss Jackie don't make the matches. I do. Besides, I feel that it would be much more worthwhile for you to get happy with the boss tonight like your friends here rather than get into a Women's Championship match. We'll save that opportunity for later, when it would be a smarter idea than it is now to go for the gold," Vince advised her. "So, Jackie is off tonight, and so are you. But while we're all at it, make yourself at home. I need to head out to the ring."

On that note, Vince McMahon had left the ring. Following the commercial break, the Chairman was already out in the center of the squared circle with his theme music blaring all over this arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Charlotte, North Carolina's own, 'the Nature Boy' Ric Flair!"

"WOOO!"

The entire Charlotte Coliseum was ready to see Ric Flair come out from behind the curtains, styling and profiling the way he usually does, with a whole lot of flair. What they got, was Flair's titantron video going on for seventeen seconds, a shot of Flair doing the "Wooo!" in front of a camera somewhere else, seemingly at a nightclub. Despite him not being right there, they went right along with him.

"Hey, guys! I would come here tonight, but I got more important things to worry about!" Flair stated openly.

"Like…?" Mr. McMahon asked from inside the ring.

"I'm back home tonight! I'd be in the arena, but I'm feelin' so good I just gotta party!" Flair continued to exclaim, the audience going wild. "Oh, and fans, don't worry about my job, because I already told Vince McMahon to interview me from in here. Speaking of the boss, go ahead and shoot, Vince."

"I got only one thing to tell you, though, Ric," Vince began. "You got a defense of your Intercontinental Title coming up at Sunday night's Royal Rumble event, and your opponent in the ring is none other than the Best Damn Athlete Period, Shelton Benjamin."

"Best Damn Athlete Period or not, he is still a mama's boy, and mama's boys don't beat the Nature Boy for the Intercontinental Championship! Wooo!" Flair responded. "I'm off to continue my partyin', and I'm gonna tell you right now, I've already got three ladies begging for my number! I'm here to have a whole lotta fun while I'm at home, save the business for the Royal Rumble! fans go along Wooo!"

The Titantron view of Flair at the club left, but his music did not.

"There you have it! The Nature Boy is in, and he's ready to defend the Intercontinental Championship!" Vince yelled out with a smile on his face. The entire audience was going "Wooo!" and going bananas with cheers for their hometown legend, Ric Flair.

As for the "Pick Your Partner" tag team match, Triple H was so intent on going to the club with Jackie so she could catch Flair for him that he didn't even bother to pay attention to it. If he had, he would have known that John Cena (with partner Shawn Michaels) completely cleaned Edge's (with partner Chris Masters) clock. Edge and Lita ended up running away as Masters took both the finishing moves of his opponents, first Shawn's Sweet Chin Music, then the process of walking right into John's F-U and getting pinned 1, 2, 3. Cena and Michaels celebrated in the ring, confident of two things: Shawn's Rumble, Cena's Title. Edge and Lita were yelling at the ramp that the Rated R Superstar's keeping the Title.


	15. You’re Fired!

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 15_**  
_Title: You're Fired!_  
Show: Friday Night Smackdown (1/27/2006)  
Summary: Batista gets interviewed prior to his World Title defense against Mark Henry, and Randy Orton suffers dire consequences.

"Hey, Randy. I saw Vince today. He was talkin' about ya. He didn't look too happy," the Legend Killer heard on his cell phone.

"I kinda guessed as much, man," he replied. "A Smackdown Superstar taking a one week leave of absence to come to TNA and take the NWA Heavyweight Title doesn't go over popular with the boss, even if it was done for him. It kinda gives TNA ratings, and incentive to raid him and make themselves noticed. But I wonder what the hell's gonna come."

"Don't worry about it, though. If he fires you, you can still come right back. Once Evolution gets all gold and comes together, your contract to the team makes you nonexclusive. And you're still signed to TNA even after getting fired from here, right? So it counts for something," his friend said.

"Seriously, though, you're gonna be here, right?" Randy then asked his friend.

"Nope. The great Dave Batista's got more to worry about than showing up for his fir… just kidding, man. I'll be in the arena. I gotta be there about Mark Henry anyway. Catch you later, okay?"

"Alright, Dave. See ya," Randy said then closed his cell phone, ending the conversation. He was anxious to find out exactly what Mr. McMahon was going to do, despite knowing that the pending Evolution contract covered all the ends and was going to nullify pretty much any and all penalties, one way or another.

Now, first off tonight, Rey Mysterio challenged Mark Henry to a one-on-one match, which actually began this episode of Smackdown. At this point, Henry had Rey in a bear hug, and was applying it for a long time. Tazz and Michael Cole were beginning to wonder how much Mysterio could take of this, as usual, and Mysterio eventually fought out, much to fans' delight. He then ran to the ropes, came back and hit a dropkick on Henry's knees, staggering him forward a little bit. Rey repeated this process, and Henry was down to one knee. He then hit a dropkick to Mark Henry's head, and he fell down leaning back on the ropes! Rey then thought of a great idea: 619 the back of Henry's head! He signaled for the 619, then ran to the opposite side, and came back to hit Henry with the 619! Henry was able to stand up from that, so Mysterio then came up and instead of doing a seated senton, which would have gotten him caught, hit Henry with a dropkick from the top rope! Henry staggered all the way backwards to the ropes, then momentum carried him forward. Rey Mysterio got back up in time to get in a drop toe hold, taking Mark Henry down, head hung on the second rope. Mysterio signaled for and hit 619 again! Henry was then knocked down. Mysterio then dropped the dime on Mark Henry and pinned him! However, the count only resulted in two, as Henry, after all that, still shoved off Rey Mysterio like a piece of nothing! Henry and Rey eventually both did get back up, and Rey tried to jump on Mark, who simply thrust him down, showing off his power. Henry then went outside and got a steel chair. He went back in the ring, and the referee was right there. Rey Mysterio thought of it as an opportunity to attack, when Henry, trying to jerk the chair away from the referee, thrust him in Rey Mysterio's way, and the two both ended up getting knocked down!

Henry then smiled as the fans booed, all knowing what he was going to do. Henry then took the chair and beat away at Rey Mysterio's back with it! Chair shot after chair shot after chair shot, it was absolutely sickening! Finally, Matt Hardy came over to the ring and got in a few licks on Henry, including tripping him down to one knee with a lower dropkick. Hardy thought he had a Twist of Fate right there, when Henry suddenly lifted and backtossed his rival right out of the ring! But Hardy skinned the cat, and made it back up… to find his skull the victim of a thundering chair shot courtesy of the World's Strongest Man. Finally, Batista's music came on, and out came the Animal, rushing into the ring! He attacked Mark Henry with viciously strong right hands, and even gave Henry his own try at it and ducked that to give him the Leviathan Spinebuster! Batista did thumbs up, thumbs down, then looked at the now cracked steel chair Henry had assaulted his friends with. He picked up the chair and blasted the downed Henry straight in the head with the chair! Batista's music went on, and he posed his strong pose to the crowd on one of the turnbuckles, then called for WWE referees and trainers to come help Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio.

About a few minutes later, the workers were helping Matt and Rey into the medical room, and Batista was looking on concerned behind them. Josh Matthews then found Batista and asked him what were his thoughts on what just happened out there between him and Mark Henry.

"You wanna know my thoughts on what happened with Mark Henry? It's real simple," Batista replied. "I represent this Title with class and guts that the world hasn't seen combined together in a long time. I could go on and on bragging about myself like that, because it's true. So of course I'm not scared that Mark Henry's gonna come back and beat my ass for the Title. But that's not why you're here. You want my thoughts on what just happened. What just happened is Mark Henry tried to send a message, that he intends to become the World Champion. In the process, he just bullied and injured my friends, Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. And unlike… Raw's Edge, I am not only not a transitional champion, I'm also not a transitional friend. Therefore, I came out and sent a message to Mark Henry: you attack my friends, you piss me off. And that's something nobody wants to do!"

Batista's face did not seem so happy. In the meantime, Theodore R. Long was making his way to the ring.

Once there a few minutes later, Teddy had important business to address.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, as we all know, last week saw one of our own WWE Superstars make a splash over in Orlando, Florida at Total Nonstop Action, the second largest wrestling company in the world, second to our WWE. See, Smackdown's own, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton, decided to enter the ring as a special insert to TNA's NWA Heavyweight Championship match between then NWA Champion Jeff Jarrett and five other Superstars," the General Manager reported and reminded us. A plethora of jeers then arrived, directed at Randy Orton. "Yeah, I know. I was pretty peeved to see that one of our own would resort to this defection. Especially when I realized what eventually became a truth; that I was going to have to deal with Vince McMahon coming into the ring and basically calling for my job to be placed officially under jeopardy. From what I understand, the Legend Killer is in the arena tonight. So, Randy, come on out. I ain't got all day, so you better make this quick."

Eventually, Randy Orton's music finally came on, and out came the Legend Killer, receiving that same plethora of jeers. He was walking down that ramp with TNA's top Championship belt, calling himself a WWE Superstar. He walked up the steps through the ropes into the ring, then did his legend pose atop one of the turnbuckles, and the boos crowded him like never before. He then got a microphone, and asked Teddy what's up as his music died down.

"Don't what's up me, you troublemakin' little fool," Teddy responded hastily as the fans cheered. Orton was frozen right there. "You completely embarrassed the WWE when you jumped ship to TNA to take the NWA Heavyweight Championship. And don't tell me you did it for WWE, because even if you did, that's incentive for TNA to raid our shows and make something of themselves. And I refuse to stand for Smackdown being invaded by a non-WWE show. I've already had enough invasions from Raw, and I don't ever plan on lettin' that happen again, either. Therefore, to ensure that your irrational and reckless judgment in how to become a champion does not screw over the WWE, I have decided to suspend you indefinitely, until you lose the NWA Championship and your contract to TNA!"

The fans cheered at that decision, as Randy pleaded with the boss.

"Teddy, what the hell! I'm a Champion! What are you talking about?"

"You are suspended until you are done at TNA! Now, security! Take him away! I've got a show to run!"

As he was saying that, Vince McMahon's music then proceeded to come on, and the WWE Chairman came out in a very foul mood. His face did not remark any kind of respect towards young master Orton. Randy sensed the anger, and he sensed his own fear, as the crowd was happy as hell. Of course, that makes sense, considering the music they were hearing was "No Chance In Hell".

"Well, it seems that once again, Smackdown proves why it's the second rate show," Vince began.

"What are you talkin' about?" Teddy asked.

"What do you think I'm talking about?" Vince spat out in the face of the GM. "You can't even retain your Smackdown Superstars enough for them not to go around, invading TNA, and causing chaos for me! And as for your little punishment for Randy Orton: don't give it to him!"

"What?" Teddy exclaimed in shock.

"That's right!" Vince shot in angry confirmation. "Don't give it to him! Let me track down the laundry list on the Legend Killer first."

"Laundry list? What else have I done to offend you-"

"SHUT UP!" the angry Chairman ordered. "You ask what laundry list I've got against you? It's easy! You violated the rules of the Evolution contract back in 2004, you violated the rules and regulations as far as Superstar/Diva relations, and you violated the code of respect for Eddie Guerrero!" Vince's subjects among the crowd hailed him for this, despite being confused. He calmed down and explained.

"For those of you who are uninformed, and that's basically all of you, (groan.) Randy Orton has numerous infractions with the WWE. First of all, despite his WWE contract, and despite his Raw contract, Randy Orton's membership to Evolution in 2003 and 2004 was marked by its own contract. Despite its no longer having any validity, the contract was looked over by my son Shane McMahon, and he found something interesting. It said, quote: 'By agreeing to sign this contract, you have agreed to be in Evolution, and that Triple H is the leader of Evolution. Therefore, you have agreed that Triple H is your leader, and that the only member of Evolution who can be the World Heavyweight Champion is Triple H.' Now, of course, Randy never got this, because his Evolution membership does not mean that he is smart enough to read fine print. In fact, he is not. So by winning the World Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam 2004 and becoming the youngest Champion in WWE history, he breached the contract and basically ejected himself from Evolution, despite popular belief that Triple H betrayed Randy Orton just to be a selfish asshole. Also, there is a locker room regulation that WWE Superstars are not supposed to touch Divas in any physically harmful way whatsoever, under any circumstances other than somehow being opposition in a match. However, last year, two weeks before WrestleMania, Randy Orton had a kiss with Stacy Keibler… and followed that up with a damn RKO to the girl! (boo!) Not only that, there's a certain code of respect for the late great 'Latino Heat' Eddie Guerrero that basically is the unwritten law around here ever since he passed on. And during the week in which we paid tribute to Eddie Guerrero, what did Orton do? He and his father tried to jump John Cena and almost ruined the honor's mood on Monday Night Raw. Not to mention the fact that Randy Orton is the one who burned Eddie Guerrero's low rider in an attempt to kill the Undertaker! (boo!) All that being considered, I don't think this merits a suspension at all! I think this means… something different."

"Something different?" Teddy questioned.

"Yeah," Vince responded. "Something different. I think this means that Randy Orton's services with World Wrestling Entertainment are no longer required."

The fans immediately began cheering at the sound of that. They knew what was coming next.

"No longer required? What you talking about?" Orton asked, as if he didn't know.

"Randy Orton, (you're fired!) YOU'RE FIRED!" Vince officially declared, in his usual authoritative tone, much to the fans' delight. "Somebody come out here and take out the trash!"

Kurt Angle's music then came on, and out came Angle, who set off the fireworks at the center of the ramp before the fans' "You Suck" chants ever came up. Kurt had the chants redirected towards Randy Orton, who was basically begging off the firing. Mr. McMahon, though, pushed him and clotheslined him out of the ring, where he was met by a Kurt Angle right hand. Angle had a garbage truck backed up into the arena and opened, followed by the Wrestling Machine tossing the Legend Killer right into the truck and slamming it shut. Vince McMahon and Teddy Long walked out of the ring, celebrating taking out the trash. McMahon, however, told Angle to open the door again. Kurt and Teddy Long were both confused, but went through with it. Randy Orton thought this was his chance to escape, but a right hand from Angle told him otherwise. Rather, Vince McMahon got his microphone again and made this shocking announcement.

"We need to make a change in the General Manager's position here on Smackdown, since the current boss is apparently too soft! Theodore R. Long, YOU'RE FIRED!"

That comment was followed up by the scooping up of Teddy Long by the Chairman, who then placed him into the trash with Randy Orton, shut the trunk, and ordered the person to drive off. Kurt Angle was surprised greatly by this sudden turn of events. But what mattered more: Randy Orton was now fired.


	16. Total Nonstop Invasion

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 16_**  
_Title: Total Nonstop Invasion_  
Show: TNA Saturday Night Impact (1/28/2006)  
Summary: In his Total Nonstop Action Impact "debut", Randy Orton conjures up an interesting plan with the Latin American Exchange team.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the new NWA Heavyweight Champion, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton!"

A new music theme then came on, or so it seems. For those who watch the French animated series "Code Lyoko", the music that came on was actually the long no-lyrics version of its theme song, "A World Without Danger". He came out to the cheers of the world and smiled on top of the Impact Zone stage, doing his pose there with the fireworks for the first time. The fans received him pretty well, considering he's unseeded Jeff Jarrett from the NWA Heavyweight Championship, which is proudly around the well-suited Legend Killer's waist.

"There he is!" Mike Tenay exclaimed from the announcer's table. "The Legend Killer and new NWA Heavyweight Champion of the World, Randy Orton! He made his mark as the youngest WWE Champion in history, and here he is at TNA, the quickest NWA Champion in history by far, about five seconds following his first instant in a TNA ring!"

"Just when it seemed Christian Cage had finally unseeded the NWA Heavyweight Champion Jeff Jarrett, this special insert from WWE came into the ring and proved himself instantly to be TNA's best, or TNA's smartest, which is why he's the Champion," his broadcast partner Don West spoke as Randy held his World Championship high in the air from one of the six turnbuckles of the TNA ring.

"You hear the people cheering for Randy Orton out here, and he knows probably even more than anyone else that he may have made some mistakes with the WWE, but this is time for a fresh start!" Tenay added.

"You know there's more Superstars in the back that can attest to this very statement," West said in agreement with his colleague. Finally, the golden light and the music faded out, and Orton got a TNA microphone for the first time ever.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am the Legend Killer and fastest NWA Heavyweight Champion ever, Randy Orton!" he proudly proclaimed, to much positive fanatic acclaim. "Now, I know that a lot of you fans may know me from WWE, and don't be ashamed to admit it, but if you're a pure wrestling fan, you watch them too, so you know who I am, and you know all about some of the things I've done in the WWE. You also know about the embarrassment I suffered last night, and many of you may think I'm actually bitter at Vince McMahon for firing me. But no, I'm not. He was right to fire me. Because I am officially TNA now! (cheers all abound) And I'm gonna tell you right now, it's good to know that Eddie Guerrero's low rider isn't staring me right in the face to be used for a trap or anything like that. It's also good to know that none of the WWE's skanky Divas, and I mean each and every one of them, are there to distract me from my goals and desires. It is equally good to know that the member of the Awesomeness dynasty that I'm actually in the same company and locker room as isn't the one who screwed his other best friend by lying, cheating, and stealing in a completely immoral and unfunny way. (yeah!) But although I'm not bitter at anyone for letting me go, I'm not afraid of anyone. And if you all thought me being the quickest NWA Heavyweight Champion ever was a big, shocking accomplishment, then you ain't seen nothin' yet. I've got a plan to bring several TNA Superstars with me to raid the Royal Rumble pay-per-view just south of us in Miami, Florida. (high mixed reactions) Again, it's not to be bitter. It's to send a message to WWE. It's to send the message that TNA is for real! (yeah!) Now, I'm gonna go to the back and recruit a-"

The lights faded out, and the entrance music that blared was that of "Captain Charisma" Christian Cage. Once the lights cleared up, we saw Christian at the center of the ramp, with his back turned. He then turned around and did that kiss to the Peeps thing again, and they were all cheering throughout his entrance. Christian then rushed into the ring, went up on one of the turnbuckles, and signaled to his Peeps once more, receiving many cheers and "CHRISTIAN!" chants.

"Okay, Christian. Let's make this quick. Whattya got to say?" Orton quickly asked as Christian got his microphone.

"Well, it's real simple. It was decided by the Championship Committee that you, Randy Orton, will be defending your NWA Heavyweight Championship in the main event at the Against All Odds pay-per-view coming up February 12th, 2006, live from right here in the Impact Zone at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, against the only and only, Captain Charisma! Christian Cage!" the straight-edge Canadian of TNA announced, leading to a burst of cheers. "And even though I've gotta commend you on something called being a really opportunistic bastard like somebody else we know except different, I would like to openly state that I don't like you! And that at Against All Odds, Christian Cage will finally realize his destiny. You call yourself the Man of Destiny? Well, I call myself the next NWA Heavyweight Champion, cause that's how I roll!"

Christian is in! His music rings loud, and he and Orton are staring each other down, ready for their confrontation in fifteen days. The fans cheer at the scene before them.

Later on, after the commercial break…

"I'm gonna bring TNA to the Royal Rumble, man. Isn't it great? Catch ya later. Bye," Orton said, before being met by TNA interviewer Shane Douglas.

"Okay, I'm Shane Douglas, and I'm here to get a statement out of Randy Orton, the Legend Killer, over what just happened in the ring. First, your thoughts on Christian Cage challenging you at Against All Odds for the NWA Heavyweight Championship."

"I promise you, my first Championship reign here at TNA is gonna last a lot longer than a month. I am not a transitional champion like Christian's little friend, and I will beat Christian Cage at Against All Odds '06. And my friend, that's not a fluke. It's destiny," Randy boasted, using an old line he said before.

"But also, what were you saying about a plan to bring Total Nonstop Action to the WWE's Royal Rumble pay-per-view?" Douglas asked the Legend Killer.

"Do I really need to answer that? It's real plain and simple. TNA is for real, and I intend to prove it at the Royal Rumble. I'm gonna find three guys that can help me take TNA to WWE, big time. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go find-"

"HEY!" a voice blared, cutting off Randy Orton. He turned behind him to find Konnan, along with his Latin American Exchange boys, Homicide and Apolo. "Look over here, Randy. I'm here, and I'm ready to go take TNA to WWE. You see, before the whole thing with the 3 Live Kru and the James Gang really got outta hand, I tried to get a benefit performance goin' for Eddie Guerrero's family. TNA was all for honorin' Latino Heat. But his own company, WWE, Vince McMahon said no cause he didn't have the balls to send out Rey Mysterio, the Mexicools, and Chavo Guerrero to come out and honor our late great friend, and the show ended up bein' cancelled for not havin' enough of Eddie's old friends. As you can figure, I've been wantin' to kick Vince McMahon's ass for a long time. Me an' my boys, Homicide and Apolo, we can get the job done. For TNA, and for EG. So whaddya say? We in?"

After a little contemplation, Randy Orton said looks like we've got a deal, and he shook hands with each of the LAX thugs. The four then headed for their plane to Miami, Konnan's crew receiving cheers for the first time in a little while.


	17. The Royally Busy Rumble

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 17_**  
_Title: The Royally Busy Rumble_  
Show: WWE Sunday PPV Event - Royal Rumble 2006 (1/29/2006)  
Summary: Randy Orton brings TNA's LAX to WWE, Ric Flair defends Intercontinental gold, and Miss Jackie defends the Women's Championship.

"WOOO!"

Ric Flair's entrance music came on, and out came the Nature Boy with his usual styling and profiling entrance, and the "Wooo!" chants and cheers accompanying. Already in the ring was challenger Shelton Benjamin, as Flair could tell when he heard Big Mama bad-mouthing him at ringside. He then proceeded to do a "Wooo!" in her face, then walked into the ring. As soon as he gave the referee his Intercontinental Championship belt and took off his robe, Shelton Benjamin attacked him viciously.

As the bell rang, Shelton Benjamin was punching away at Ric Flair in the corner, and when Flair got low enough, he switched to stomps. Big Mama was continuing to talk. Benjamin eventually had to stop, and he basically laughed and smiled a little bit, before picking up the Nature Boy by the hair and taking an array of rights and lefts for it. Eventually, Shelton was knocked down and regrouped on the outside, opposite the side of Big Mama. Shelton eventually got back up to the apron. Flair chased and was given a guillotine neckbreaker on the top rope, knocking him backwards and down. Shelton got back into the ring and waited for Flair to get up, then hit him with a falling neckbreaker from behind. He covered Flair. 1, 2, didn't work. Shelton picked up Flair and gave him a vertical suplex. He waited for Ric to get up, and hit him with a snapmare, then got in a headlock. He eventually let go, and it led to a bit of a control period for Benjamin.

After a bit of a while, the Great Mama's Boy had the Nature Boy in a leg lock submission, and Flair was having trouble reaching the ropes of getting himself out of it. He eventually did get to the ropes, though, and Benjamin had to let go, but got right back to stomping on Flair. Ric eventually got out of range, and stayed at the apron. Once he got up from there, he gave Benjamin a thumb to the eye, then got in the ring and issued Shelton a chop block from behind! The Dirtiest Player in the Game was getting things done again. Shelton's Big Mama was continuing to shout to no avail. Flair then stomped on Shelton's legs a good few times. But rather than hit him with the Figure Four leg lock, Ric picked up Shelton and set him up in the corner, where it was a party of right hand punches and chops. Ric eventually irishwhipped Shelton, but he reversed it and tried to meet Flair's return with a super kick. Flair blocked it, and tried the old snap and roll, but took a dragon whip lariat to the head for his troubles. He was in serious trouble now. Shelton saw Flair in the corner, and attacked with the Stinger Splash, then attempted his trademark Exploder T-Bone cover suplex, but Flair saw it coming and blocked it, then tripped up Shelton from behind, dragged him to the center of the ring, and hit him with the Figure 4 leg lock! Shelton Benjamin, despite all of his Mama's shouting, ended up tapping out!

"Here is your winner by submission, and still WWE Intercontinental Champion, 'the Nature Boy' Ric Flair!" was Lilian Garcia's announcement, as Ric celebrated in the middle of the ring, confident and proud about keeping his title. He continued to style and profile, despite an angry Big Mama. She needed an oxygen mask, she was yelling so much.

Meanwhile, Batista was inside Vince McMahon's office.

"Have you been paying attention to the TNA Impact broadcasts lately, Batista?" Vince asked his company's World Heavyweight Champion. Batista nodded, allowing Vince to continue. "Did you see the promise from Randy Orton and the Latin American Exchange group last night? They're planning on coming over here and screwing up the show."

"That's all fine and dandy, but I have a match tonight for my World Title-"

"SHUT UP!" Vince ordered his employee. "You're not even gonna have a job if you don't do this for me! At least check the area to make sure there's no TNA insurrection. If there is something, you better take care of it! If I find out that TNA has successfully entered the building and even taken out one WWE Superstar, you're gonna need to go to TNA or look into the damn indies for a job!"

"Alright, I got this," Batista finally succumbed. "Besides, what kind of World Heavyweight Champion would I be if I just let TNA walk in here and trying to get in on my show?"

"Just get out there and get the job done!" Vince shot. He was not in one of his best moods.

As soon as Batista did get out there, though, Miss Jackie was to defend her Women's Championship against Ashley, Mickie James, Trish Stratus, and Lita. The five of them were involved in an over the top battle royal + one on one match challenge.

Mickie immediately went in after Ashley, and Lita attacked Trish. Mickie was kicking around Ashley in the corner, and Lita fisting away at Trish. Lita tried to irishwhip Trish, who simply countered and tried to get Lita over the ropes when she came back. Lita just skinned the cat as Mickie continued to kick away on Ashley. Over the past few weeks, they'd been disagreeing, and that's mildly putting it, because of Mickie's over passionate, overactive persona as it relates to Trish Stratus. Eventually, Ashley left the ring by rolling under the ropes. Lita got back up into the ring and eliminated Mickie from behind!

Miss Jackie and Trish finally ended up fighting, and Trish had the upper hand, getting forearms in on Jackie and putting her on the turnbuckle, apparently to try the Stratosphere. The plan worked to perfection, except when Trish got up, she ended up getting caught in the Litacanrana! Who woulda thought Lita would still be able to pull that one off again considering her relationship with Edge? Miss Jackie came from behind with a rollup clutch pinfall maneuver, which she immediately got out of, and Ashley came from behind and eliminated Jackie by taking her over the top! If you're one of the boys behind the scenes, you're just realizing that Evolution lost its Women's Title!

Trish looked at Ashley, and the two ladies looked at Lita. Lita, noticing what was going on, tried something. She came and punked out Trish Stratus, who, as the plan would have it, told Ashley to leave her to it herself. Trish then took down Lita and started pounding her head. Ashley pulled her off and tried to talk some sense into her before she could have gone Billy Kidman, but ended up getting tossed over and this close to out in the process. Ashley, however, managed to skin the cat, and Lita greeted Trish's comeback with a back toss over. Trish hung onto the ropes with her hands and skinned the cat as well, remaining alive. Ashley, who just got back into the ring, charged at Lita, who knocked her into Trish using a drop toe hold, knocking out Trish Stratus!

Ashley and Lita, the two punk girls, were basically now going one on one. In the back, you could see Matt Hardy and Edge watching the match, taking bets on which girl was going to win the match. It was almost as if they were friends again, except with the seriousness of their dormant rivalry, that could never be exactly so. Suddenly, the words "You think you know me" came on, and even Edge was confused. Matt didn't look like he was buying it, but that didn't exactly matter. What did matter was back in the ring. Ashley was completely confused about this business, but Lita apparently was not. She quietly set up Ashley for her trademark inverted Twist of Fate, then hit it and covered Ashley 1, 2, 3. The music kept on going as Lita was called the new WWE Women's Champion. Eventually, Lita's celebration was being joined by Edge.

Triple H was seen fuming from within his locker room.

"Damnit! The whole thing's just been ruined!"

In the meantime, a limousine is arriving at the AmericanAirlines Arena parking lot. Out of the limo is seen coming TNA's Randy Orton, along with Konnan, Apolo, and Homicide.

"You guys ready?" Randy asked his LAX allies.

"Yeah," they all agreed. Randy leading, the group of TNA stars all went into the building. Now, we go back to the ring, where Edge and Lita were celebrating her being the new Women's Champion and the girlfriend of the WWE Champion at the same time, something that had never been done before in history.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop," a voice said. The Titantron showed inside Vince McMahon's office, the boss staring us right in the face. "Now, as refreshing at this is to see Lita's return to the ring go so well, a little birdie told me of a great concept that I just could not refuse to be in favor of entrance tricks causing the Walking Kiss of Death to become the new Women's Champion. So, this match isn't as over as you think. There's a new opponent. She's somewhere around here. You have to find her for me. I'd appreciate it, and she is super hot."

"If you want super hot, I'm right here," Lita complained.

"That may be true, but you're not the only one," Vince countered. "So, find your opponent and face her fair and square."

Despite dropping the microphone, instead of going to find whoever this was, Lita continued to complain her case, and after a few seconds, she ended up in a school kid cover and pinned 1, 2, 3. The incomparable just happened. Maria was named the Women's Champion.

Backstage, Miss Jackie was going back somewhere and fuming. She then opened the door to Triple H's locker room and found him smirking.

"What's so funny around here? Did you set up all this?" Jackie demanded to the Game, believing anything she sees in front of her eyes right now.

"Come on, Jackie. Why the hell would I do something like that?" Trips asked in reply. "I just thought it was funny that Lita got pinned for the Title by, of all people, Maria."

"Well, what are we gonna do about me? I still have to get the Championship back! How is it ever going to-"

"Relax," Trips interrupted and told her. "I'll take care of it. We're all gettin' back together tonight anyway. We'll just focus on getting you the Title afterwards. Hell, who knows? We got someone that knows the business and knows Vince McMahon so well he could be going to Vince and suggesting that the Women's Championship go under Hardcore Title rules for tonight and manage to persuade the boss man by saying, 'Hot women from Raw and Smackdown taking each other down, anywhere and everywhere in the arena, all night long, for one reason and one reason only, which is to become the Women's Champion.' Trust me, Jackie. We're good to go."

Paul London and Brian Kendrick were talking about a Cruiserweight Champion Invitational match Kid Kash had ordered earlier tonight to defend his belt in. London would be involved in the match. But not if they couldn't survive Randy Orton and the Latin American Exchange. And I say this for the simple reason that Konnan and Orton are standing right behind them about three seconds later.

"Paul! Brian! Get outta here!" they suddenly heard a voice blast. The four TNA invaders pretty much knew who this voice was, and they weren't about to beat on London and Kendrick without a fight from this person. Konnan charged towards the invasion raider, Batista, and received a right hand for his troubles. Randy Orton then came after Batista, and he ended up suffering the same consequences. Orton and Konnan both got up, but only the K-Dogg went after the Animal, and ended up getting thrust right into the big Puerto Rican Apolo. Homicide then charged in after Batista and was completely cleaned apart with a clothesline. Apolo then took it to Batista with a few right hands before trying to slam Batista headfirst into a steel fence and getting that done to himself via counter. Orton then tried to dash in after Batista, who suddenly turned around to tell him it ain't workin'. The NWA Heavyweight Champion then fell back and ran away from the World Heavyweight Champion. He was stuck right smack dab somewhere in the middle of the building.


	18. This is Evolution!

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 18_**  
_Title: This is Evolution!_  
Show: WWE Sunday PPV Event - Royal Rumble 2006 (1/29/2006)  
Summary: Batista defends his World Championship against Mark Henry, and Triple H finally faces Edge and John Cena for Edge's WWE Title.

After awhile, Batista reported the events of the night referring to his kicking of LAX's collective ass and the forcing of NWA Champion Randy Orton to seek refuge in some secret spot in the arena. Vince McMahon excused him to go out there and do his thing, as related to the World Heavyweight Championship.

Three matches came between then and that match. The Boogeyman beat JBL, Gregory Helms won the Cruiserweight Championship open invitational, and Rey Mysterio came out from spot number two and last beat out the first entry Kurt Angle and the last entry - which somehow happened to be TNA's Apolo - in order to represent the late great Eddie Guerrero and WWE Smackdown as the man who would represent at WrestleMania to compete for the Heavyweight Championship of his choice.

Mark Henry and Melina came out for Henry's World Championship match against said Batista. But while coming out with the same confident stance and chorus of boos, they also had Kurt Angle's former manager Daivari with them. This was indeed a surprising twist, but not one which would go unexplained. Mark Henry did grant the populace an explanation in the near future, taking a microphone. Well, actually, the annoying talker Daivari was the one with the explanation.

"Melina, you can go ahead and go to the back. I've got everything under control now," Daivari said, allowing Melina to make her exit back up the ramp before explaining things. The fans jeered their heads off at Daivari, then chanted "USA!" simply to get on his nerves.

"That's not gonna work on me anymore, I'm way beyond reacting over primitive chants, so go ahead," he answered, leading to the loud chorus of boos. "Anyway, I've got an explanation for this. Recently, as I was sitting at home thinking about that ingrate who fired me, I was contacted by Melina. She told me that she was going to be very busy as of late, and that she was going to need a manager, not just for herself, but for her boys as well. Therefore, I am now the manager for not only the WWE Tag Team Champions MNM, but also, the World's Strongest Man and soon-to-be World Heavyweight Champion, Mark Henry!"

The cheery tone Daivari used in saying this quickly went away as Batista's entrance music theme finally came on. Batista, dressed to compete and poised to do so as well after the TNA induced warm-up, did his usual thing. Coming to both ends of the stage, setting off the stage guns from the middle of the ramp, then going to all four turnbuckles and raising his arms up in strength and representing the fact that he is the World Heavyweight Champion. The gist of it all.

The bell rang, and both competitors circled the ring. Both locked up, and Henry backed Batista up into the corner. Batista tried to punch his way out, but got shoved back as soon as he gained some room. Henry tried to charge, but Batista sidestepped and got behind him, then told him to bring it on. This led to a series of sidestepped charges by the World's Strongest Man. Batista then tried to again punch his way to an advantage, only to get his head grabbed and butted for a takedown. Henry then posed to the jeering crowd and attempted an elbow drop, which Batista knew better than to try to withstand, so he moved out of the way. Batista got up, then got in a few right hands, but Henry, in an amazing display of smarts, low bridged the ropes when Batista came back off the other side instead of taking the clothesline and allowing Batista to have any kind of momentum.

With that move, Big Dave was caught off guard and sent swimming to the outside. Henry then got the referee's attention, allowing his manager Daivari to get in some cheap shots on Batista. Henry then left the ring and lifted the steel steps out of the way with force. Batista got back in, and Henry followed, and ended up taking a few right hands again. Batista then dared Mark to come in after him, and the Chocolate Mountain did, allowing Batista to try (keyword: try) to get in a power slam on Henry, but he simply could not get that job done. As Batista favored his back, Henry sent him out over the top rope. Henry now started talking trash to the people of Miami, which again did not go over well with the Animal Planet fan base. Mark left the ring, then took Batista and rammed him straight into the rail in an attempt to further weaken his back, before rolling him into the ring. Once Henry slid in himself, he hit a big splash on Batista, then covered the Animal only to get a two count. This began a small period of fists and power moves with which Henry was actually dominating.

He eventually had Batista in a bear hug for about thirty-two something seconds. The Leviathan attempted to break it with a group of elbows and eventually did. Batista got in a few rights on Henry. Henry launched Batista to the corner, but his charge got cut off with an elbow shot. Batista made a rare move, going on one of the turnbuckles. Big mistake to get on and jump off, because Mark Henry caught him by the throat. On the other hand, Batista managed to break away, get two kicks into the gut, and hit Henry with a DDT! Once Batista got up, he signaled for thumbs up, thumbs down, then attempted his Batista Bomb, but could not even get the big tub of strength and lard known as Mark Henry to even come off the ground. Henry instead took the opportunity to back toss the Animal. Henry then lifted Batista into a military press, but the Animal managed to fight his way out of it and actually hit a power slam! The pressure this exerted on big Batista prohibited him from getting up and trying anything else, so he then decided to cover Henry. The aforementioned transaction resulted in a kickout after the count of two. Batista then took Henry into the corner and began to thrust his right shoulder into Henry's gut emphatically several times. But an angry Henry would not allow it to continue much longer, so he suddenly knocked Batista down with a hard knee to the jaw, which also ended up knocking off the referee, who was standing right behind Batista.

The Animal then left the ring and recovered himself, after which he grabbed a steel chair. At first, he was about to get in the ring with it, but he noticed Henry's manager Daivari right there. Batista looked at Daivari, and didn't even give him any time to collect his thoughts before straight smacking him in the head with the chair! Henry was angry. He ended up coming out and trying to chase Batista. However, Batista went into the ring and waited for Henry to slide in, then shot him hard with the steel chair right off his thick skull. However, Henry would not go down. Batista nailed Henry a second time with the steel chair, and this time, the titan came crashing down. Normally, fans would not like this, but that was Batista, knowing he had no other choice but to do that if he were to win. Batista took the chair out of the way, dragged the referee towards the middle, and covered his large enemy. 1… 2… and I think the fans got so surprised that they had momentarily completely forgotten about a certain something called the kickout! Batista was also incredulous about it himself. He then waited for Henry to get back up, then egged him to charge again. Henry, of course, thought he was getting set up for the Leviathan Spinebuster, so he braced himself to walk right into it and then stop it right in its tracks by exerting his strength. So Batista instead hit him with a drop toe hold right into the second turnbuckle, following which Henry got up and really did walk right into the Leviathan Spinebuster, and he actually ended up taking it! Batista covered Henry… 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and still the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista!" Tony Chimel shouted from ringside.

The scene was actually unbelievable! There was nothing short of happiness, relief, and pride etched on Batista's face as his hand was raised in victory. He then thumped and pointed to the sky, again remembering Eddie Guerrero with a huge smile on his face.

Once Batista got back to the locker room, he found Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio waiting for him.

"Big Dave! Congratulations, man! You got it done! And just like me, you got it done on behalf of Eddie Guerrero!" Rey shouted in happiness, hugging his friend a little before Matt had a chance to shake the Champ's hand and pump fists together.

"Yeah, but I got a feeling this night is not over yet," Batista replied.

"Wait… what are you talkin' about?" Rey asked, the mood suddenly quieting. Then, a smile crept on Batista, and it followed up on both of his friends as well.

"Well, come on man! Go get it done!" Rey shouted again, in recognition of the fact of what exactly Batista was talking about.

Later tonight, the WWE Championship match happened. John Cena had the fans behind him, some cheered for Triple H as well, and Edge was, of course, the least favored Superstar of all involved in the match. Edge and Triple H, though, decided to put their angry differences aside to attack John Cena for a little while. Cena managed to fend them both off with right hands and clotheslines, until Lita came on the apron to bad mouth and distract him. Cena then forced a kiss on her, only to walk right into Edge's Spear! After that maneuver came about, both Edge and Triple H attacked Cena with rights and stomps on the ground. Edge then went for a cover, but Cena kicked out. He then went for another one, Cena kicked out again. The frantic paced Rated R Superstar then tried yet again, but Triple H pulled him off. Then, Edge stood up. With Cena apparently out of the way, the Ballistic AC and the Cerebral Assassin were free to get it on one on one against each other in the middle of the ring and take out all their frustrations on one another. Edge and Trips then got into a slugfest, and again, Triple H ended up losing it. Edge irishwhipped Trips and basically telegraphed his move and got a kick to the head for it. Trips ran off the ropes and came back with a high knee to the head of Edge, knocking down Mr. Money in the Bank. He awaited the rise of Lita's lover in the corner, then walked over to Edge for an attack only to Edge to reverse the position and start fisting away at Triple H with right hands and stomps in the corner. The attack was most certainly an angry one. After he finally stopped, Edge posed off and raised his hands as if victorious to the crowd, and there was a major shortage of Edgeheads in that arena, as in everywhere else around the world. But one person who didn't see a shortage of Edgehead within herself was Lita. She was clapping and smiling the world over. So, Edge came out of the ring and took Triple H out with him.

Trips got back up, Edge rammed him into the rail, then hit him with a few right hands, but got off focus and told some fans to shut up when he heard them chanting that he sucks. John Cena was back up now, and was distracting the referee and stopping him from continuing the ring out count that Edge had on Triple H. When Edge realized that he wasn't going to keep the title the cheap way, he then went in after John Cena and ended up in a fist fight of his own. Cena won this time, and he irishwhipped Edge and greeted his return with a power slam. Triple H got on the apron, and Cena chased after him, but the Game got off, then tripped Cena before heading into the ring and attacking with a fierce clothesline. Trips then tried to pick up Cena, but ended up in an inside cradle! 1… 2… the Game kicked out before the count of two. Both men quickly got up, and Cena hit Trips with a couple of clotheslines, then ducked Trips' attempt at one to give him the Protoplex spinout side slam! He then came down to Trips with the you can't see me taunt, then executed the Five Knuckle Shuffle! Cena looked like he was about to pump it up, when he was suddenly met hard by the Spear! Edge covered. 1… 2…

…and a familiar music theme began ringing all over the arena. The fans were going off in a frenzy about this. Joey Styles and Jerry "the King" Lawler seemed to know what the music was, but they were incredulous about it as much as Edge was. He was just about to retain his WWE Championship, next thing you know this music comes up for the first time in a year? Shortly after, it died down, and Edge walked right into a kick in the midsection, which lead off to a Pedigree. Triple H rolled Edge over, but before even hooking the leg, the music came up again! The crowd went crazy again, and this time, they were accompanied by Triple H's smile. Jerry and Joey were puzzled about the music coming up and not even being for anyone. They wondered if this was a joke, especially after Trips' smile stopped. When the music died down, Trips promised to attack the productions truck in the back, then come back in and whip everyone's ass and take the Title like that. But he couldn't carry out any of that, because he walked backwards right into the Protoplex spinout side slam. Then, came the music again, and the people booed and chanting "Productions Suck!" this time, because they were now pretty sure that there was no such thing as what this music is supposed to mean.

Someone then came out of the stands, out of nowhere, then attacked the referee from behind with a steel chair, then hit John Cena smack in the skull with it! We finally get a good look at the person, and it is… RANDY ORTON! Randy then calls to the stage, telling some guys to come on. We assume it's LAX gone back up, but out come… Ric Flair… and Batista? And the whole time, we can still hear Motorhead's song, "Passing You By (Line In The Sand)," the Evolution theme music. By now, the fans are going rowdy, because they have officially recognized that Evolution is back! Batista and Flair finally got into the ring, and the music went out. Batista picked up Edge, and the Rated R Superstar tried to fight him, but ended up getting pushed into the ropes, and coming back to take the Leviathan Spinebuster! He did the Ultimate Warrior rope taunt, then thumbs up, thumbs down, following which he picked up Edge, set him under, and hit him in the Batista Bomb! Ric Flair then got Edge in the Figure Four leg lock, and Lita tried to force Flair to let go, but before she could even get into the ring, Batista had shoved her off the apron and knocked her down, then tossed her over the guardrail into the crowd, where they could basically have their way with her for a limited amount of time. Speaking of time, this was going on at the same time that Triple H was back up, and while Randy was forearming Cena's chest from over the Doctor of Thuganomics, Trips was stomping Cena's midsection. The Game then picked up Cena, who was victim to the Legend Killer's RKO! Security tried to come for Orton, but Trips shooed them off, and finally said enough of the beating. He then covered Cena. Randy dragged the referee into the center of the ring, but knew that the chair shot was a little hard, so instead of waiting for the referee's count, Randy did something that Shawn Michaels had done to him before and counted the pinfall himself using the helpless ref's hand!

"Here is your winner, and the new WWE Heavyweight Champion, Triple H!" Lilian Garcia announced to the world, as Triple H's own music theme finally came on, and the four members of Evolution, Championships and all, had all hands raised in victory. Then, out came Miss Jackie. She helped with the raising of Triple H's hand, then was suddenly attacked by Maria! Randy Orton got Maria off Jackie, and Batista helped Jackie up. Randy took the chair and threatened to hit Maria with it if she got any closer to their Evolution teammate. But then came a shock: he turned around and nailed Miss Jackie, then told Maria to come in! Orton and Batista, who were closer to the middle of the ring, then lifted Maria on their shoulders, and the Sweet Little Girl was not only the Women's Champion, but now a part of this business's elite team out of nowhere. Triple H got a microphone.

"I could stand here and make a big speech about how this happened, but I'm savin' it for this whole week comin' up. As for right now, cheer, boo, say, do, whatever the hell you want. Because this is Evolution!"

The group's music then rang all over again, and yes, there were plenty of cheering fans, and plenty of jeering fans. This was just the way Evolution was going to be from now on. There is no leader, there are no followers. There are no heels, there are no faces. Hate it or love it, and this was something Maria was going to have to get used to, Evolution would do whatever necessary to remain on top of this business. The NWA Heavyweight Championship of the World, the WWE Heavyweight Championship, the World Heavyweight Championship, the WWE Intercontinental Championship, and the WWE Women's Championship. All five titles were in the hands of Evolution. What this meant was instant and total gridlock over this entire industry. The takeover is now a success. This is Evolution.

_a/n: I hope everybody who reads this understands what I'm about to say next, and that is that **I like reviews**, so please start reviewing when you read, people. Thank you very much._


	19. A New Era Dawns

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 19_**  
_Title: A New Era Dawns_  
Show: WWE Monday Night Raw (1/30/2006)  
Summary: The reunited Evolution appears in the public eye for the first time since establishing their hold on the industry.

"Guys, I came to each of you a month ago to tell you that I'm ready to restart Evolution to be better than ever in every way. And that was reflected in the new team contract we signed, and that contract goes into effect tonight. Hell, it went into effect last night when we beat the living hell out of Edge, Cena, and the referee, to get me my WWE Title! Now, we're in complete control, baby!"

These were the words of Triple H when he was addressing his championship crew of four (excluding himself) before the show on Raw. Of course, they pretty much knew that they were the first ones that the Raw audience was going to see tonight.

As the show began, Lilian Garcia was in the ring, and the fans were cheering, pretty much in the know as far as who she was about to introduce.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the elite unit featuring the WWE Women's Champion Maria, the WWE Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair, the World Heavyweight Champion Batista, the NWA Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, and the WWE Heavyweight Champion Triple H, Evolution!"

The music then started up, and the audience was obviously on Evolution's side. Then, out came Randy Orton, followed by Batista, followed by a smiling, styling, and profiling Ric Flair. After him came Maria, then Triple H. They all stood at the stage and raised their Championships within their right arms, and then the pyro came on. Maria, of course, held the beaming smile. The group, Triple H first, and Maria underneath Orton's arm, walked down the ramp confidently and coolly as the standing ovation simmered down a slight bit. Trips and Flair let Maria get into the ring first, and the lady in the shiny gray camisole and black skirt leaned back against the ropes and smiled, as the boys each got in and did their specific taunts and poses, the Evolution music and lighting still apparent, along with these cheers. Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, and Coach finally all agreed on something; Evolution is back in the house, and is better than ever, and dare stress the Titles, they are in complete control of this entire industry. Eventually, each member got a microphone. Out of nowhere, an "E-V!" chant broke out as the Evolution faithful were obviously piled into the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida. Randy Orton decided to speak first.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am the youngest Heavyweight Champion in WWE history, and now the fastest NWA Heavyweight Champion in history. I am 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton! And this is Evolution!" he blasted out, a beaming smile following the statement. Amazingly enough, considering his jackass record, Randy was completely cheered for!

"Now, people. I didn't come here for you to cheer for us, and I didn't come here for you to boo us. Recognize us either way or any way, and it is perfectly okay," Trips said, taking over speaking duties for the time being. "But just for the curious ear's satisfaction, let me tell you how all of this came about. You see, back when we were in Evolution, Randy Orton and Batista were up-and-coming guys that needed to become big names with guidance. That guidance, along with the privilege of standing in the face of greatness and a whole lot of fun, came with the membership to the group that Flair and I began: Evolution. We had Tag Team Titles, Intercontinental Championships, and my constant position in the race for the World Heavyweight Title, along with everything I mentioned. I will admit this. It's part of the reason I'm an eleven time Heavyweight Champion. (cheers of respect) But then, the group deteriorated. Yes, Orton breached the contract that I'm the only permissible World Champion in Evolution. He apparently forgot all about it, and he ended up paying the price for breach of contract. After that, Batista became more and more independent until he kicked my ass to take the World Championship. I didn't like Ric Flair anymore because I considered him an old man. And so, the team went from potential greatest regime in history to dead, just like that. But lately, we've been having problems. For myself, it was having to deal with that oversized basketball player we call the Big Show. (boo!) For Ric Flair, it was the incessant, annoying, never-knowing-when-to-show-some-respect-and-shut-his-mouth I Care About Me Guy constantly trying to bash his career in half because of one beat down on the streets by a guy who probably didn't know how to show the proper respect to Ric Flair either. Randy Orton, your great Legend Champion, was so far down after gettin' his ass handed to him by the Undertaker that he actually subjected himself to being Booker T's own personal Orlando Jordan for that United States Championship series. Of course, while he did make history in there as well, it was completely embarrassing. Meantime, 'Big Dave' Batista had the biggest problem of them all. Your Animal had to deal with Mark Henry, Melina, and MNM constantly harassing at him. Melina calls the sexual assault network on a complete farce, Henry constantly jumps Batista, threatens to take him out, and goes from unrostered, no-shot waste of strength to Ohio Valley mid card to instant super freak threat to the World Championship. (boo.) That's where Evolution came in. I got sick and tired of seeing all these damn idiots running around, messin' with our lives like they were the kings of the universe!"

"So, that's when Triple H came into my locker room, and eventually convinced me to join in on this great little dominion scheme," Ric Flair then continued on his own mic, and the "Wooo!" was all you heard in here for one moment. "The Game reminded me about the fact that the problems we were experiencing at the moment, we never dealt with this kind of garbage from anyone else before. And why? Because of Evolution. We were the unstoppable force! (yeah!) So, I agreed to start this over. We then secretly arrived at Smackdown that week and got Randy Orton and Batista to go along with the plan as well. However, the story wasn't exactly finished."

"The great plan of the Evolution dominion required complete equality among the members. We are all just too elite now to be going on kissing one another's asses," Batista intervened. He was then cheered for, and he eventually heard his name get chanted. After a good fifteen seconds, though, he continued speaking. "But what else we had to get established was that this time, Evolution was going to have a first lady. (yeah!) Now, how did it get to Maria, you ask? It's really simple. During the discussion, we tried to figure out what girl around here was not easy, disagreeable, or just plain too soft for the team. We figured out easily who that would be. And that woman was the one who had been getting screwed around by Jeff Jarrett at Total Nonstop Action, Miss Jackie Gayda. (small cheers) She became the crafty Women's Champion, true. But after awhile, Triple H began to question whether she was the best person for the job, despite having complete confidence in her and making a perfect pitch for Vince McMahon to unwittingly allow her back into the company. Over the past couple of weeks, Randy Orton had taken Maria under his wing, and was training the Sweet Little Girl to be a viable wrestler. He saw in a couple of matches she had that she was a good opportunist and that she indeed had a limited array of skill. But he knew she could be better than that, better than Jackie, so he helped her get there. Eventually, Randy conversed with Triple H and they finally decided to dump over Miss Jackie for Maria. And so, we told Maria to get Shane McMahon to convince his father to bring the winner of Jackie's five woman match to immediately go up against her in a defense right afterwards, and we all know the McMahons' only weakness from time to time is hot women. (small cheers) So, Shane and Vince were both reached by this, Maria stole the Women's Title from Lita, and then, Jackie Gayda thought she was with us, but she was the replaced weak link among us. (boo.) From there, the rest is history." Maria then asked Batista to quiet down because she wanted to speak. The Leviathan agreed, and on was the Sweet Little Girl.

"Okay, I just want everybody to know that Evolution is the greatest clique EVERRRR!" she yelled out in enthusiasm, jumping around a little bit and inspiring the crowd to cheer along. She did stop soon, though, and begin to talk. "Now, I just thought everybody needed to know about our contract. You know, the one that brings Evolution back to the dance? (Wooo!) There's a difference between our new contract and the old Evolution contract. See, the stipulation that Triple H is the leader and the only permissible World Heavyweight Champion is no longer in this contract, obviously, because we have three Heavyweight Champions. (small cheers) But, there is something else that is in it. That something else is that from the first moment we stand together with all the Championships we needed to get, none of us are exclusive to any WWE or TNA show. Which means we can show up on Raw, Smackdown, and TNA's Impact any time we want. (yeah!) How do I put this? We've got all the Titles, and usually one Champion basically calls the shots in his brand. But we have all the best gold, plus we can show up anytime, anywhere. Basically, we own the business. And this is Evolution. So, anyone that-"

"You think you know me."

And everybody knows who's about to come out to the ring right now. Edge and Lita come out, and tonight, they're not concerned about showing off what a great couple they are in the middle of the ring. Each of them is coming down to the ramp in a very angry mood. And for once, they restrained from one another, allowing some people to cheer for their interruption of Evolution. Triple H clapped his hands, apparently seeing that the fans got his point about "any reaction they want." Anyway, before you knew it, the Rated R Superstar had already slid in the ring, and the Queen of Extreme, who for once was not wearing Rated R gear, was on the steps and coming up to the ring. Edge had a mic of his own.

"Hey, you guys! I don't care about your big contracts, or about who the Evolution first lady is, even though you cooked your plan right there by picking the dummy, (ohhh!) or what reason anyone had for coming into Evolution. I don't even care about the fact that nobody is kissing Triple H's ass," Edge stated plainly, the angry spewing out from his voice. "What I do care about, plain and simple, is the fact that the boys here screwed me out of my WWE Heavyweight Championship! I should be the Champion. I Speared John Cena! I should have had the victory on that cover! It was 1, 2, and about to be 3, but then, Evolution's music comes up. Then, it dies down. Then, Triple H gives me a Pedigree. And two repetitions of the music later, I get hit by the Leviathan Spinebuster, the Batista Bomb, and the Figure Four! Not to mention Batista threw my girlfriend right into the middle of Miami's horn dog fans, and it's not like Orlando's any better, so shut up! (boo!) Oh, but then again-"

The arena then went into an excited frenzy. The next entrance theme was "The Time Is Now", the entrance music of the former WWE Champion before Edge, John Cena! The Doctor of Thuganomics came out, full of energy, pumping up the crowd, and when it came walking to the ring time, he didn't exactly let up there. He excitedly raised up the Word Life sign when he got in the ring, and Edge and Evolution did not exactly look too happy about it, unlike the Chain Gang soldiers that littered this arena. Cena, like Edge, had his own mic out with him.

"Actually, Edge, you ain't got a right to be talkin'. By yourself, you're more desperate to get laid than the entire city of Babylon," Cena joked, much to fans' delight. "But I seriously gotta agree with you on somethin', Edge. You see, for once, you are absolutely right. Evolution did screw you out of the WWE Championship. Not only that, they also screwed me."

"Hey, you weren't screwed, Cena!" Edge shot in disagreement.

"I wasn't screwed?" Cena asked in wide-eyed disbelief. "You were the only one that got screwed there?"

"No! You were not screwed! That would be implying that you even had a chance! Without this Evolution business ever starting off, those two false alarms wouldn't have happened, and I'd still be the WWE Champion! I was covering your ass 1, 2, 3, but then, these chumps had to get in the way!" Edge yelled out, frustrated as hell, and pretty much unappreciated as hell, too.

"I got the Protoplex on Triple H, and I was about to get him in the F-U! Twice! First time, you Speared me! Second time, Evolution! How'm I s'posed to win a damn match with that?" Cena complained.

"Listen. I'm on top of the world right now, and I represent Evolution as the World Heavyweight Champion," Batista finally restated to interrupt the argument between the groups' two foes, leading to cheers in the audience. "And one thing that I don't like is two guys coming out here to fight us not being able to do anything other than battle amongst themselves and go around killing each other on microphones that shouldn't even be out here because we already took five. So, I'm gonna challenge one of you to a match on Smackdown for my World Championship, and I know which one of you has any kind of guts. (yeah!) So, Cena! If you want, you get a free trip to Smackdown, to face me for the World Heavyweight Championship!"

And what a declaration Batista just made! Putting his Championship up for grabs against Cena, just five days after not only successfully defending it against Mark Henry, but also establishing Evolution as the reigning imperial machine in the entire industry! You know the people were all for it, especially since Batista and Cena were the two men who kept the Heavyweight Championships from WrestleMania 21 all the way into 2006.

"I would complain about why not me, but I got somethin' else in mind for you guys anyway," Edge began. "See, for a long time, I've been Mr. Money in the Bank, the Rated R Superstar. Through it all, I've faced last man standing matches, the angriest times in my career, victory after victory being undermined, and because of the controversy surrounding me and Lita, having to stall my career for months because Kane, Matt Hardy, and every fan that ever knew me constantly kept getting on my case and trying to kill me with this crap about how could I be so evil, or what was I thinking, or why did I cheat on my wife and betray my best friend at the same time? (small cheers) Well, here's a perfect explanation for ya. Matt Hardy was never my **best** friend! (boo!) Through the entire picture, basically our whole careers, I had to deal with Lisa Ortiz and Val Venis's sister as if they had me completely satisfied, when the one girl I wanted most was staring me in the face, and telling me, telling the whole world, that she was in love with Matt Hardy. And when I looked at them, I knew that he was superficial and incompetent as a boyfriend. He had too much tunnel vision to think about the here and now of their relationship. That fueled a fire in me to the point where even if he improved that quality of himself, which to his credit he did, and even if our tag team rivalry allowed him and I to become friends, which to his credit again did happen, the minute I got bored enough with whatever girl I had was the minute I asked Lita out. That moment came during Matt's injury. Not mine, not Lita's. Matt's! Three months later, we were having our affair, and Matt recovered from his injury. But before making his comeback, he and my damn wife found out. Matt was kept off television because of it, and he eventually blabbed it out despite Vince McMahon telling him not to because it would destroy the loyalty of the Edge Army. He got fired for doing it, and that's when all the hell started. But through it all, there was somebody. Somebody that I knew very well. This somebody is the reason I say Matt was never my best friend. That's because this somebody was my best friend. Always have been, always will be. And you already know who he is. Like Matt Hardy, he obviously didn't like what I did. Like Matt, he was equally disappointed in Lita. And like Matt, he wondered how the hell could this happen. But unlike Matt, this person expressed his disappointment in us only once, and then brushed it in the back of his mind. Unlike Matt, he was smart and proud, too smart and proud for going to the measures of using the Internet to go into the 'Waahmbulance' strategy and talk about a damn 'Angelic Diablo' personality to rally on our fanatic troops to try to destroy my career and make my life a living hell. Unlike Matt Hardy, this man managed to save face with both me and you the fans! (small cheers) Unlike Matt Hardy, this guy eventually did wish the best for me and Lita and then move on with his life! And despite the fact that he openly stated that he joined TNA because he wanted nothing to do with this, he still knows I'm really a good guy to be around despite all this shit! And because of that, after I saw Randy Orton, Batista's former Evolution buddy, be the only TNA guy Batista didn't beat up last night, after Maria snuck up from behind and pinned Lita for the Women's Championship after the real match was already done, taking a page from me, I was able to call this guy and tell him to tell his boss, Dixie Carter, to pay attention to the show, because being four moves ahead of you dumbasses like I usually am, (boo!) I kinda knew something fishy was about to go down last night. And not only did the call get paid attention to, but because of this, I've got the guy in this arena tonight! (yeah!) And so, for once, you people can appreciate one of my smart moves. (mixed reaction) So, without further ado, the man who will face and beat Randy Orton at TNA's Against All Odds pay-per-view right here in Orlando for the NWA Heavyweight Championship of the World, the man I won around ten tag team titles with, seven of which were in our two years teaming in WWE, the only Superstar with more guts than me, with enough guts to voluntarily actually defect from here to TNA! My real best friend! The one and only, the Peep Man, Captain Charisma, Christian Cage!"

Joey Styles could only utter a mere exclamation of "What in the hell?", and fans suddenly screamed, as that generic version of an Evanescence song that is Christian's entrance music theme at Total Nonstop Action, suddenly blared all over a WWE arena! Just like in his TNA entrance, the lights basically faded in order to form a spotlight at the center of the ramp, under which he was posed with his back turned and hands on hips. Once he turned around, Christian Cage ran and slid into the ring, and it was on! John Cena was actually aligning with Edge and Christian to take on Batista, Randy Orton, and Triple H of Evolution! Ric Flair and Maria were basically forced to scatted by the suddenness of the situation, and you saw Cena teeing off on Batista, Christian having Orton in the corner, and Edge stomping away at Triple H, who he had down! And the people were eating this up! Ric Flair realized that he had to do something to even the score for Evolution, so he took off his suit coat and went into the ring, proceeding to turn Edge around and dish him a flurry of assaults and chops. Batista countered Cena's irishwhip and welcomed him back this way with a devastating clothesline. Orton saw it and slid out of Christian's assault to give Cena an RKO! Christian tried to break in afterwards to hit Orton some more, but Batista intercepted it into a Leviathan Spinebuster! Flair now took Edge down by the legs and twisted his way into the Figure Four leg lock! Lita tried to intervene, but Maria came in and tackled her, resulting in a rolling cat fight on the outside. The entire scene was the quality of a riot, and after the embarrassment of tapping out when there wasn't even a match to tap out about, Edge was finally released from the Figure Four. Evolution's music came on, and the group stood tall, outside Maria, who was just about to start getting her head pounded into the concrete by Lita. Fortunately for the Sweet Little Girl, the Legend Killer pulled Lita off with force.

"Get outta here!" Randy ordered Lita. Knowing what he could do, she immediately exited. The group came down as Randy helped Maria up and Batista asked if she was okay. She nodded, and the team began to walk up the ramp when they saw Vince McMahon's office with the Chairman smiling inside on the Titantron.

"Hello, Evolution!" he cheerfully greeted them. "Seems like you guys are having the time of your lives. You're running all over the industry with all the best singles titles. Well, I'm still Vince McMahon, I still own the WWE as the Chairman, and therefore, I still own you."

"No you don't. We own us. The minute our Evolution contract became active was when we came together and Triple H won the WWE Championship, and our Evolution contract gives us free reign to all three shows whenever we want, remember?" Maria pointed out. "So, even if the great Mr. McMahon does fire us, you can't really get rid of us. And my trainer should know all about that. You fired him before we came together, and we're still untouchable."

Randy Orton looked at her in wonder, and the arena got a little quieter. That's how surprisingly quick Maria's rise to the Evolution way of thinking was.

"I can destroy your Evolution contract, just like I could have destroyed your other one!" a now angry Chairman declared.

"Actually, I remember both contracts clearly stating that this is Evolution's, and you don't directly have any free reign about it at all," Trips vocally disagreed.

"Anyway, as long as you appear on Raw, you will abide by the rules of the new General Manager of Raw," Vince retorted. "And that new General Manager of Raw is none other than… the Boy Wonder himself, my son, Shane McMahon!"

"Here comes the moneyyyyy! cha-ching Here we go. Here comes the money!"

With that, out came the great Shane McMahon, doin' his dollar dollar dance, receiving the pops of the crowd as well as the jeers (since he screwed Shawn Michaels last night out of the Royal Rumble match). He then pointed to Evolution and told them that he's the boss now. The group stared a hole into Shane as he danced some more, then left for his office. Randy Orton then walked forward and said come on. The group followed

Backstage, they continued walking along, and headed to the parking lot of the TD Waterhouse Centre.

"Randy, where the hell are we going?" Batista

"We're gettin' outta here! That's what! We gotta save ourselves so we can get back here for your match on Smackdown!" Randy reminded the group, most notably the Animal. "You think I'm gonna wait around so Shane McMahon could ride the fire of being the General Manager and book us in a match against everybody in the locker room?"

"Good point, man, but I don't like running away," Batista made no bones about saying.

"We're not here for saving face or getting heat with the fans. We're not gonna do this all the time, but I think now that course of action would be best," Randy shot immediately as he turned around to the ex-Washington D.C. bouncer. As everyone walked by him, Batista pondered it a second and said alright, then walked along with them. Just in front was a stretch limo with the Evolution shield emblem on it.

Later on, Shane McMahon asked a worker where Evolution was. The worker told him that they had already left in their stretch limo.

"Damn! I was gonna book them into a match."

_a/n: Okay, peeps. Apparently, I haven't gotten my point across yet. I need respect for this story, okay? Reviews are a sign of respect. And I am one of those many great people in the history of all time who have written down stories on for people to read, review, and enjoy (among other purposes). The motto of is "unleash your imagination and free your soul". I'm writing down what is arguably supposed to be one of the greatest stories of all time next to my homeboy the Captain R Superstar's War Games 2006, yet I find that after one more chapter, I'm gonna have twice as many chapters as reviews, most of which were given by one of two people. This is a diss. A major diss._

_The summary doesn't say "pairings: RandyLita", or "pairings: RandyStacy", or "pairings: CenaTorrie", and it damn sure doesn't say "pairings: RandyCena slashwarning", or "pairings: RandyOC", or "pairings: CenaOC". And those last three I mention are impossible for me to fathom writing, because I'm a straight guy. As you can tell, it does not hint to any pairings at all. That's because this story isn't about pairings. Nor do Orton or Cena's names show up directly in the summary, despite each man's importance to the story itself. It's become pretty damn obvious to me that their names being in the summary, esp. with pairing reference, are the reason most of you even write or read these stories._

_Kill my beat right here if I'm wrong, but don't talk to me about "many people read but don't review", because my story and Captain R's should both be highly read by pretty much the same audience. Yet he has a thousand reviews per chapter, and I get the run of the mill. Now, Captain R, if you're reading this, it's nothing against you. Your story's the only example I can think of. It's just me being sick of being the unheralded legend. This crapstained excuse of a cold shoulder makes me feel like all I'm essentially writing this for is to prove that most of you think Orton and Cena should be in love for a story to even be recognized. This story is my one comeback shot right here since the Stones of Raw from last year, and this is the props I get?_

_The only imagination here in the wrestling section of a site that's supposed to be all about it is a bunch of senseless fangirls imagining Randy Orton and John Cena being in love with them or somebody else. There is a huge densing down in this place because of that, and it shows me part of the reason they get booed so much in the first place. Outside Randy's heelish persona and his caustic remarks against Eddie Guerrero, and John Cena "not being a title-worthy wrestler" according to people who don't understand the difference between face and heel, every guy in the audience that boos them has something else on them: chances are his girlfriend, or the girl that he likes, is probably not completely loyal to him or is not with him because she spends her time drooling over Randy and John like some slut/idiot. The sad part is, the regular guy is the one who cares about her and wants to be with her, and each of those two guys is an entertainer with a body. It shows all over… **this site**, of all places. Here I was a couple years back, thinking Jeff Hardy was cool but a little overused in fanfics. Seeing the Orton-Cena disease, I honestly didn't know what overused was. And despite them being two of my faves, it absolutely sucks._

_If I am somehow wrong about the cause of my lack of reviews, and the truth is that you people are reading and enjoying but you're not letting me know how much you like it or even what I could do to make it better, then stop with that M.O.; it's chumpstain. In case you never realized it, discouragement has set in, writing has worsened, and people have deleted stories for the exact same reason I'm talking. I deleted a story over that myself one time. I didn't come back to get this again._

_Oh, and just for the record: I'm gonna keep going with this story, especially since I've written ahead already. I'm not looking for pity over here. I want respect. And it's pathetic that someone writing a fanfic has to stop in the middle to demand respect. Goes to show you why there's a lot of people quitting this place. Peace out._

_-P. Dizzle_


	20. Prime Defense

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 20_**  
_Title: Prime Defense_  
Show: WWE Friday Night Smackdown (2/3/2006)  
Summary: Randy apologizes for an old fault, Maria is confronted by MNM's Melina, and Batista defends his World Championship against John Cena.

A limousine with the Evolution shield marked on its doors pulls up at the parking lot. The driver comes out of the front door and opens the back door on his side. The door is opened, and Maria comes out in an extravagant dress. Following Maria is Ric Flair, dressed to strut his stuff as always. Triple H, Randy Orton, then Batista finish the cycle, also dressed in rich Armani suits. Oh, and did I mention they have their five Championships with them. As Trips instructed the driver to get ready to come back after the end of Smackdown, the group headed towards their locker room. Randy Orton and Batista, though, purposely dropped a few steps back behind the others.

"Hey, Batista. You think after you're done with the match, you could go see Stacy one second?" Randy asked, referring to ex-girlfriend Stacy Keibler.

"Alright, Randy, you're gonna have to explain," Batista said with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, come on, man. I'm not in love with her. It's just that we went from being the hot couple on the block to her thinking I'm an asshole in an instant because I did what I had to do last year," Randy explained. Dave shook his head in reply.

"Not that I'm talking to the Undertaker behind everyone's back, I saved that for you guys," he started, "but many would agree that you didn't have to disrespect Eddie's low rider or RKO Stacy just because you really wanted to get rid of the Undertaker."

"I had to get myself in the mode of being willing to do anything to take out the Undertaker, when I did that to her," Randy said, seeming a little remorseful. "Plus, her… what do I call it? Oh, yeah. Her… incomplete allegiance to me made her a distraction and a diversion from that state of mind. I couldn't have that if I was gonna go boldly where no man has gone before. And when I burned Eddie's low rider: the fact that I'm standing before you signifies that. If I relented from my ruthless stance just because it was the late Eddie Guerrero's stuff, Undertaker not only would have beat me at Hell in a Cell, he would have been able to crucify me. I'd be anywhere from injured to crippled to dead and not walking."

"Nobody's gonna buy that. The Ministry of Darkness was a long time ago. He can't crucify anybody,"

"What happened to Orlando Jordan before that last ride match in 2004?" Randy asked in disagreement. "Anyway, let's stop talking about the Undertaker. We got bigger things to worry about in your World Heavyweight Championship match. I'll go talk to Stacy myself. Whatever solidarity you have with her must have gone down a notch or two since we're back in Evolution, so it's not gonna help that much if you're there."

"Guys. We're here, and I heard everything. You can stop pulling back to have your conversation," Trips interrupted their conversation to inform them. "Both of you can go ahead and talk to Stacy right now if you want. Remember, we're all too elite for anyone to lead this time. Decisions are open, as long as they're not stupid. But the main focus of tonight is you, Batista. You keeping the World Heavyweight Championship against Raw's guest to Smackdown tonight, that hip hop poser former champion John Cena. You got that?"

"Trips. I'm all set. There's nothing to worry about," Batista said, coolly and confidently. He then patted Randy's shoulder. "Yo, RKO. Let's go." The two "graduate students" from the last try at Evolution then left for Stacy's locker room, instead of finally going into their own.

It was at that time that the show began. After the introduction and the fireworks came around, Michael Cole plugged that this is Evolution's first Smackdown together ever, and that in it will be the first Evolution Championship defense since the reunion of the team, when "the Animal" Batista puts his World Heavyweight Title on the line against "the Doctor of Thuganomics" John Cena, and as a security measure, all others will be banned from ringside under notice of possible suspension. He also plugged the revelation of the new Smackdown General Manager tonight.

Following this, the words "You think you know me" came accompanied by a background sound, leading to an entrance music people thought they would never hear again. It was "Over the Edge", the music that was once used by the great tag team of Edge and Christian! The lights faded out, then after a second came on only at the stage, revealing that Edge's smoke was pouring out again. Out from the smoke came Edge and Lita, much to the Peeps' chagrin. After their new trademark stage pose, Edge and Lita pointed forward, and the lights came back on in full, revealing Christian Cage at the ramp, back turned to the ring in the usual pose! The crowd went nuts at this sight, then Christian turned around and did the finger kisses to the Peeps again, before both he and Edge rush slid into the ring. Lita walked in using the steps and ropes, though seemed a little jumpy because of the "Rated R Charisma" surrounding her. Christian did his kiss to the Peeps at a turnbuckle, and when Edge finally got up from under Lita, he went to the turnbuckle on the other side from Christian and shouted some words, following which came a big grin on his face. All three of them got microphones, and the music died down, leading the fans to cheer on Edge for the first time ever.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for the first time ever being cheered for together, Edge and Lita!" Christian blasted out on his mic, getting a mini-converted reaction. Mini-converted to jeers, that is. About ¾ of the people that cheered during the entrance cheered again when he said that. Edge and Lita smiled, in the positive limelight for once. "And the sole reason for the cheers siding with Edge and Lita, yours truly, the next NWA Heavyweight Champion of the World, 'Captain Charisma' Christian Cage!"

That second part to it got everyone in the arena off their seat in yayes. Edge and Lita's smiles diminished a little bit, which hinted towards Edge not liking Christian's self promotional stance.

"I know for a fact that everyone is asking themselves how the hell we got here," Edge stated, leading to a smaller eruption of supportive fans which caused him to continue with this observation. "For once, the Edge Army is all in. Anyway, we got bigger things to worry about. Lita and I are the most hated visitors from Raw in the history of Smackdown, and Christian is the one guy to voluntarily leave WWE and Smackdown for TNA's Impact show. (small cheers) I asked Mr. McMahon, he asked Dixie Carter, but whatever in their hearts resulted in us getting permission to do this is none of our business. We came out here to make a few announcements. First of all, I'd like the limited number of Edgeheads and the growing number of Peeps, and I'm not ashamed to admit that fact or that I didn't want any Edgeheads, (boo!) I'd like the Edgeheads and Peeps to know that tomorrow night, from Universal Studios, right here in Orlando, TNA Impact's main event will be a tag team encounter to be remembered. It will be heelish Evolution vs. Rated R Charisma, as 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton and 'the Game' Triple H (mixed reactions) take on the Rated R Superstar himself, me, (boo.) and TNA's own, basically now accepted as Orlando's hero, the one and only Captain Charisma! (yeah!) fans start "CHRISTIAN!" chant Yeah, right, Chris-tian, Chris-tian, that's all well and good, but there was more that we came out to do. We also wanted to point out something, or should I say, my baby girl Lita wanted to point out something." He then gave Lita the floor.

"Oh, yeah. The Evolution dummy, Maria," she reminded herself almost instantly, leading to a "SHE BEAT YOU!" chant which infuriated her. While Edge complained right alongside Lita, Christian laughed right along. "Shut up! I just wanted to tell your Sweet Little Girl here that I've got my rematch clause ready to execute at any time, and I'm not gonna waste my time getting involved with Trish or anybody else's business before getting my rematch."

"Okay, that takes care of part of my problem, wondering what it's gonna be like to hear Lita in here tonight," Christian joked, "but we also had yet another reason for being out here. We're not done yet. You see, after Smackdown fired Theodore Long, they need a new General Manager, especially with Evolution getting the run of the floor all the time. And as a condition to our coming here, as Mr. Money in the Bank here informed me, we gotta tell ya who the General Manager is. (small cheers) So without further ado, the man who will now be taking over as the General Manager of Smackdown: MICK FOLEY!"

The sound of a car crash could be heard, following a familiar music with claps, and the world was blasted out of its boots as Mick Foley came out in his traditional outfit and charisma (so Captain Charisma isn't the only one with some stuff), and the people's happiness surrounded. He rolled into the ring and raised his arm at the turnbuckle in the usual position he does it in, following which he got a microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first edition of Mick Foley's Friday Night Smackdown, from the TD Waterhouse Centre in Orlando, Florida!" Mick exclaimed, getting the cheap pop which is his trademark. "Now, I could go on and make a big speech about how much of an honor it is for me to be the General Manager of Smackdown and to replace Teddy Long, but I'm sure we've got watchers and readers who don't care how true it is, but they've got more things to do with their time than to hear that. cheers So, let's just cut to the chase. You three had your fun, you had your time, now it's time to leave the ring. But first, since I'm chilling out here in the ring with the tag team that reeks of awesomeness in Edge and Christian Cage, how about a few memories? A five second pose?" (yeah!)

Edge and Lita looked at themselves, then at a smiling Christian. Edge then tapped Christian and asked what he was laughing about. Christian said on his microphone that they'd rather save it for Impact, and that it was time to go now. The fans booed at that notion, then he turned around and said just kidding and it was time to go now. The applause came, and then Christian instructed Edge and Lita to get down. Edge came down on one knee, and Lita laid her back on the other knee. He looked at her passionately.

"Time for the five second pose!" Christian called. The pose basically consisted of Christian pointing back and forth to himself and to his Peeps, and Edge and Lita kissing below in front of him. Mick, who was counting down the seconds, stopped it at the right time, and they were all smiles.

"Oh, and just for the record, I don't like the General Manager title as much as I like the title I had before. So, rather than calling me the General Manager of Smackdown, how about the Smackdown Commissioner instead? (yeah!) And now that I got that across, have a nice day!" Mick called. At that point, his music came back on, and Christian Cage left with Edge and Lita, all smiling.

Cameras then shifted to Stacy Keibler, who was here on Smackdown for the first time since getting involved with "Dancing With the Stars". She was getting her makeup done when someone knocked on the door. She invited the person in, hearing the door open afterwards.

"Hey, Stacy," someone said.

"Hey Dave," she replied, before just realizing something. "Wait a minute. How come they let you out?"

"I thought we made it clear there's no leader on the team this time," Batista answered, certain that they said something about it on Raw. He may have been wrong, though.

"I wasn't paying too much attention, I guess," she said. "So what's up?"

"Stacy, I want to talk," Randy suddenly spurted out. At the realization that he was here, Stacy froze. Batista could see that, despite her back being turned to them. He looked at Randy and shook his head, realizing that if a certain 24-year-old from St. Louis, Missouri was going to get something across to his ex-girlfriend, it was going to be very difficult. Randy, though, looked back and forth at Stacy and Batista with a steely resolve.

"I just wanted to comment, about the way that I mistreated you last year with the RKO," he tried again. "I will still state, whenever anyone brings it up, that I did what I had to do, cause that's what I feel. But it still bothers me a little bit. We went from the hot couple to… _that_. All because my ego didn't really let me see exactly how much I hurt you. And I'm not looking to get back together, nor do I hope you turn around and kiss me right after this, nor do I even plan on talking to you again like this another second, or on anything more than me getting slapped right in the kisser for this. I just wanted to come here and say, that I'm sorry, Stacy."

"Wait… you're kidding, right?" Stacy said, butterflies entering her all of a sudden. If there was anything she never expected in the history of this earth, it was an apology from that guy for an RKO, including the one that he had given her on Raw back on March 21st, 2005, just thirteen days before his WrestleMania 21 match with the Undertaker. She understood perfectly his reason and his pride, as well as the fact that he would never regret even that act. She had figured that closure would be impossible to find, so the best thing was to shove it in the back of her mind forever. But here he was, finally mentioning it again, and with an apology to boot. Come to think of it, a part of her was seriously hoping he was kidding.

"I'm not kidding," he said, shutting that notion up and nipping it in the bud. "I know three of this world's truths are the earth is round, the sky is blue, and Randy Orton will never apologize," he continued on, letting a little snicker loose at the last part. "Based on that, you're probably shaken up. But I'm not gonna continue here much further. I just wanted to say how I really feel." He looked at Batista, who was nodding respectfully, and at Stacy, who continued to be still. He then told Batista come on, let's go, and the two young men of Evolution turned to leave when Stacy said wait. Orton stopped and turned around, as did Stacy.

"If you really mean it, that you're sorry, then… I guess I accept. And… thank you. For coming here, and being honest with me," she finally said. After closing his eyes and nodding momentarily, Randy turned back around and left for the Evolution locker room. On the way, Orton sighed.

"Yeah. I have to say, that felt good. I took the monkey off my back," he boasted. Batista then patted his shoulder a little bit.

"Randy, you did a good thing back there," Batista stated in confidence, removing his hand. "Now I don't have to answer to why I'm teaming with an asshole."

"Kinda makes it even better, don't you think?" Randy asked with a grin filling his face.

"Don't screw it," Batista quickly shot, telling Randy that now would be as good a time as any to stop.

When the two friends finally arrived at the room, they found that Maria was not there. Nor were Triple H and Ric Flair. In fact, the three were headed to the parking lot to relax in their limo. Unfortunately, they met a hurdle there in Melina, Johnny Nitro, and Joey Mercury standing by the limo.

"Is that… MNM?" Maria asked, noticing the three invaders.

"I don't care if that's MNM, LOD, Hershey's, Russell Stover, Edge & Christian, whatever. These idiots have no right to be standing all over the Evolution limousine!" Flair hollered out, going on one of his legendary hissy fits. "I'm the Nature Boy! This is the Game! And with me is the Sweet Little Girl, and that nickname is misleading, cause she's capable of kickin' ass and takin' names! If you don't want to feel Evolution's wrath, you will step off right now! Wooo!"

"Oh. Maria. Finally, you and a couple of your boyfriends show up," Melina said.

"What kinda crap is coming out of your mouth. At least Lita has some kind of substance circulating in and out," Trips joked.

"Shut up! I am not a slut! Save that job for Edge's little girl! But I came here to make something clear. I don't care what Lita said during that last promo with Edge and Christian. I'm the one that's coming for your Women's Championship, like it or not!" Melina

"Look, Triple H! M&M's! Can I eat some?" Maria asked Trips's permission, making a dumb comment the world could laugh about. In fact, Ric Flair and Triple H, along with fans, did laugh at that. Melina, though, was as upset as Johnny and Joey were, so she slapped Maria, who slapped her right back, and the two ended up in a rolling cat fight. Nitro and Mercury, as well as Trips and Flair, eventually restrained the girls and kept them from tearing each other apart. Trips and Ric then fell forward with Maria as someone attacked them from behind with a steel chair. It was Mark Henry!

"What now? Wanna make jokes?" Henry yelled out as MNM suddenly smiled their butts off. Henry then met the same fate at the hands of Kurt Angle, who engaged in a runaway chase with MNM.

All that insanity aside, 9:45 came time for Batista's World Heavyweight Championship to be defended. John Cena's entrance music finally was heard, many Chain Gang soldiers in tow to cheer for Cena, making his first appearance on Smackdown in over half a year. He came out, the energized Doctor of Thuganomics of old, including getting on the turnbuckle with the Word Life sign around the end of the first verse of his rap after taking off his shirt and (this is the only somewhat bad part of the dude) causing at least two girls to faint in each part of the arena. However, you also see liveliness out of Batista, as he showed during his entrance. The entire Animal World fan base unloaded for Batista as well during his entire entrance. He did the routine muscular pose at all turnbuckles, Cena clapping along the way, then handed his World Title to the referee and went on the turnbuckle again to thump his chest and point up to the sky, starting an "EDDIE!" chant. Cena joined in it eventually as the music died down and the bell rang to finally begin what was billed to be a very great match.

Batista and John Cena, the two men who kept the WWE and World Championships up from WrestleMania 21 into 2006, were fighting for the one belt that was still in the Champ's hands right now. They circled the ring, then grappled each other, Batista being the stronger man there and bulling Cena into the corner. Batista made a clean break, allowing Cena to get out of the corner. They repeated what just happened, except Cena got out of the grapple and had Batista trapped in the corner. Cena then went away at Batista with a flurry of right hands, and eventually stomps when Batista was low enough. There were Cena fans cheering, and there were Batista fans jeering. The referee soon started his DQ count, and Cena got off and did his Word Life sign for the crowd. About 70 cheered, the rest booing. He then sped towards Batista with a clothesline, sent him to the other corner and hit another clothesline, hit him and clotheslined him again, and tried a fourth time, only to get a boot to his face. Batista then got out of the corner and picked Cena up by the head. He irishwhipped him and telegraphed his move, taking a kick to the face for it. Cena went off the ropes and hit a flying shoulder block on Batista, knocking down the Animal. Cena then covered Batista. 1… 2… he kicked out.

Cena got up and went after Batista, who pushed him off. Cena got back up in the corner, and Batista took the opportunity to clothesline him out of his boots to the point of sitting down! Batista then picked up Cena and thrust his shoulder into Cena's lower chest several times. He then irishwhipped Cena and greeted his return with a huge shoulder block. He flexed his pectorial muscles a small strand, before seeing Cena get back up and hitting him with a vertical suplex. Batista circled the ring a little as Cena got back up, then irishwhipped him into a sidewalk slam. Batista took up Cena, irishwhipped him again, and got him with a big back body drop. Cena got halfway off the ground, screaming in pain about his back. Eventually, Cena got up, and Batista hit a devastating forearm shot to the back of his head, knocking down the Master of Word Life. Batista took advantage to go for a cover. 1… 2… Cena kicked out. Batista eventually tried to pick up Cena, only to get tripped to the outside.

Cena went down after the Animal, and tried to irishwhip him straight into the steel steps, a decision he paid for, as a reversal by Batista caused the fate to befall Cena instead. Batista went towards Cena, picked him up, and rolled him into the ring, before going in himself. Cena used the ropes to pull himself up as Batista came towards him. Cena then got in a double leg takedown and started punching away at the downed Batista. The referee started his disqualification count, which he stopped at three when Cena got off. Cena did the Word Life sign to the crowd, half of which didn't exactly like it. When Batista got up, Cena saw it and gave him a well-done missile dropkick, knocking the Leviathan down further. Cena hooked the leg of Batista. 1… 2… and then Batista kicked out. Cena complained to the referee a little bit, then got back up, followed by Batista soon after. Cena first went for a clothesline, which connected. He tried again, only to get himself a powerslam!

Batista did the same taunt he does at the center of the ramp to set off the stage guns, following which he picked up Cena, irishwhipped him, and tried to get in the Leviathan Spinebuster. Cena, however, stopped just short and stunted Batista's motion with a kick to the midsection, then hit him with a DDT! The crowd was excited by this move, and the referee went on his "raise up" ten count. Cena got up, as did Batista, after the count reached seven. The two then engaged in a slugfest which didn't look like anyone would win it, when Cena suddenly took the advantage. Batista was sent back into the ropes, Cena punched away at him, then irishwhipped him. But John Cena paid the price, getting clotheslined by Batista. Cena quickly got back up to his feet, Batista went for another clothesline, but Cena ducked it and nailed the Protoplex side slam!

Cena then went down to Batista and did the "you can't see me" taunt, before going off the ropes, shimmying a little bit, dusting himself off, checking for spots, and hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle on Batista! Cena covered the Animal, 1… 2… -oh, just short of the three-count! Cena awaited Batista's rise. Once it occurred, Cena hit Batista with a clothesline. Batista got up, Cena got behind him for a school kid coer, Batista kicked out at two. Batista got up, Cena charged at him again, he ducked, both men turned around, Batista hit the Leviathan Spinebuster on Cena! Batista did the Ultimate Warrior rope taunt, took Cena, set him under, and lifted him for the sit-down Batista Bomb, but Cena gave a few punches before Batista could come down for the powerbomb. Eventually, Cena even got Batista in his first ever hurracanrana! Cena paced around the ring showing the now completely cheering crowd the Word Life sign, then pumped up his sneakers when Batista got back up on his feet. Cena finally lifted Batista on his shoulder, set up for the F-U. It took a while before Batista finally used a strong forearm to the chest to force Cena to let go because of back and shoulder pain from carrying the weight of the heavy Capital Destroyer. Batista took advantage to kick him in the midsection, do the thumbs up thumbs down, and finally execute the Batista Bomb! Batista covered Cena… 1… 2… 3!

"The winner of this match, and still the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista!"

At that sound, the Animal was cheered like nobody's business. He got up on his feet, and was returned his World Heavyweight Championship, which he lifted high in the air at the turnbuckle. He saw Cena get back up, then had a few words with the Franchise. Batista let Cena hold the Championship for a few seconds, since he had apparently earned enough of Batista's respect to be given this honor. The two then shook hands and bumped shoulders, following which Cena left. Batista pointed upwards again, signaling towards Eddie. The show then went off the air.

"Great job, champ! You got it done!" Randy burst out later when Batista got back to the locker room. "So, how did it feel taking down that piece of crap Cena?"

"I wouldn't call him a piece of crap, but I will say this; I was the king of my environment," Batista said, taking a little bit of a proud tone to his words.

"That's what I'm talkin' about, Batista. That's what I'm talkin' about!" Trips added happily, slapping fives with the World Champ. Ric Flair burst out with his "Wooo!", and Maria jumpily hugged the Leviathan for a second.

"Now, what we're gonna do is, we're gonna get outta here, head into our limo, find one of those clubs, and party only like Evolution can!" Ric instructed in the liveliest of manners, already ready to go.

"Remember, Ric, I gotta get dressed first," Batista reminded the Nature Boy.

"Damn! Work faster, Batista!" Ric yelled in a sudden rush of impatience. "I can't wait over here! I'm about to go on a hissy fit if I gotta stand here too much longer. Wooo!"


	21. Awesomeness vs Evolution

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 21_**  
_Title: Awesomeness vs. Evolution_  
Show: TNA Saturday Night Impact (2/4/2006)  
Summary: Yet another lady attacks Maria, management shift in TNA Impact, Randy Orton and Triple H vs. Edge and Christian Cage.

When the Impact hour comes up, Mike Tenay and Don West promote two events. One, an announcement regarding a shift in management in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Two, the Impact main event tonight, as the NWA Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton and the WWE Heavyweight Champion Triple H take on the illustrious tag team of the reunited best friends, "the Rated R Superstar" Edge and "Captain Charisma" Christian Cage.

Standing in the middle of the ring at the moment are TNA announcer Jeremy Borash, along with Championship Committee public representative Larry Zbyszko, standing in the six sided ring.

"Ladies and gentlemen, standing with me in the ring is Championship Committee member Larry Zbyszko," JB started on his microphone. "Now, Larry, you requested this air time in the ring, but for what reason?"

"Well, it's really simple. Last night, I got a call from upper management that the Championship Committee was no longer going public, and was going to be submitting authority to a kind of higher power that would be announced tonight. Well, I'm not going to wait around and watch while TNA could be getting run by some kind of maniacal, unethical, corrupt being and not find out who it is before they can do anything. So, whoever is TNA Impact's higher power, I'd like you to come out right now," Larry said, plain and simple.

Then, a familiar music theme started up, the music that the ECW invasion team had used on Raw and Smackdown prior to their One Night Stand pay-per-view. And then, out came TNA Impact's higher power as appointed by upper management. The crowd became riotous with ECW chants as he came to the ring in his usual grin, entering through the steps and ropes and feeling pretty damn good. He also sported a TNA cap with the logo in ECW colors, along with his leather jacket and jeans outfit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the greatest manager in wrestling history, the greatest authoritative figure in wrestling history, the greatest innovator in wrestling history, and the new TNA Impact Director of Authority, ME! Paul E. Dangerously!" he announced, once again causing a great positive stir within the TNA fans. A mixed TNA/ECW chant then started up in the building as Paul looked around, still smiling. "Now, I have a couple of announcements to make. First of all, in our Impact main event, where Christian Cage (yeah!) teams once again with WWE Raw's Edge, (boo.) against your NWA and WWE Heavyweight Champions, Evolution's Randy Orton and Triple H, (mixed reactions) nobody will be allowed at ringside, with the exception of Lita and Maria, who are both in the building, and that is only if they come out with their men. (yeah!) Now, the other-"

Then, the boos were generated, at that familiar music interrupting Dangerously. He soon found himself looking out the Impact tunnel to find Jeff Jarrett, the King of the Mountain and former NWA Heavyweight Champion.

"Congratulations. TNA management has done it again. They've been screwing me around ever since I came here because they knew that I could not be stopped from winning the NWA Championship and holding it for 100 years straight if I wanted to. So now, what do they do? They bring in Randy Orton, give Evolution part of their key to this business, and now I'm not even in the Championship picture. Not to mention the fact that they couldn't keep Jackie Gayda over here instead of allowing her to be deceived onto WWE's Raw roster," Jarrett complained.

"First of all, Jeff," began Paul E, "you're not the NWA Heavyweight Champion for a reason, and it isn't Evolution. Last I recalled, you were pinned and eliminated in that match by the man that should have walked out Champion, Christian Cage! (yeah!) Also, I am well aware of Miss Jackie's Raw contract, but I know more about it than you or anyone else. Jackie came to management after the Royal Rumble, and revealed that her Raw contract was only for three weeks, completely reliant on the Evolution contract, which she did not even get to sign. Therefore, we were able to reinstate her TNA contract, and she is back with us on Impact. (yeah.) Thirdly, I know all about the corruption that you had shipped us, with Scott D'Amore and the great Larry Z over here. The same corruption that Miss Jackie was talking about that she had against you before she came to Raw! (yeah!) I know all about it! And as far as I'm concerned, that's not even why I'm going to say this to the living legend behind me. (turned around) Larry Zbyszko, you're fired! (yeah!) And Jeff, just one piece of advice: unless you want to be next, you will have to learn your place in this company. You are not the king of the world. And your Planet Jarrett team will never be free to do whatever ever again!"

"You know what? I've had it with this! This is a conspiracy to screw me!" Jarrett shot in anger, silencing the crowd before it could even go nuts.

"I've had it with your conspiracy crap! Get the hell out of my ring! The only conspiracy I know around here is you!" Paul E. shot right back, springing the fans to life. The cheers suddenly turned to boos, as a two men were rushing into the ring. Normally, a guy would be a perfect victim for this, but in this case, Paul E. knew what was going to happen, and did not let it.

"Don't even think about it! I have an entire locker room of people waiting to beat your ass!" he said, quickly snapping around to the opposite direction and catching America's Most Wanted right in the act before they could even get into the ring. "Now, if you may please step out of my way, I'm going to my office."

The ECW music then hit again, and Paul E. Dangerously stepped through the ropes and left the ring, ready to get to business on his first official day as the TNA Impact Director of Authority.

We now go to the Impact interview area, where Shane Douglas is standing by with three members of Evolution.

"I'm Shane Douglas, and I'm here with the Innocent Opportunist herself, Maria, along with the two Evolution men who will be competing tonight against Edge and Christian Cage, our NWA Champion Randy Orton, and WWE Champion Triple H. Now, what are your thoughts on your match tonight, and on Paul E. Dangerously being the Director of Authority?"

"You wanna know my thoughts? It's real simple," Trips began his answer. "Evolution is such a threat that new management had to be established immediately. Vince McMahon fired Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff as WWE Smackdown and Raw's General Managers, and did not plan to replace either of 'em. Dixie Carter and TNA upper management seemed completely satisfied with the Championship Committee running things around here through the most uptight, biased idiot they've got in Larry Zbyszko. But now that we're here, Shane McMahon is the GM of Raw, Mick Foley is the Commissioner of Smackdown, and TNA's got a new Director of Authority in none other than Paul E. Dangerously. Just goes to show ya that with this takeover inset, taking the faction lightly is a crime. I don't care who you are, we're the big thing in this business. And Christian Cage and Edge are about to find out the hard way."

"Ric Flair and Batista aren't here tonight because Ric decided to take Batista straight to the club to celebrate the successful World Title defense from last night," Orton went on. "But Maria's here with us to watch out for Lita. Meaning, we expect everyone to know better than to get in our way. And that's not a fluke. That's destiny. And this is Evolution."

"Signing out," Maria added as the three left the area.

About ten minutes later, we visit Christian Cage's locker room. Christian is with Edge and Lita inside.

"Guys, are you sure you're gonna be ready for this match?" a concerned Lita asked, facing her Rated R boyfriend

"Hey, this isn't my first time facing Evolution. I'll be alright," Edge answered. "Just as long as Christian manages to still reek of awesomeness."

"Hey, this isn't my first rodeo, you know. I still got it. Why do you think I'm Captain Charisma? All I know is your Rated R candy ass better not screw up in action," Christian countered in a warning to Edge.

"Hey, Christian. Calm down. You're showing me a ton of stinktatude right now,"

"If I'm the one with stinktatude, how come you had to pose as somebody's best friend to take a girl away from them?" Christian retorted in reference to Matt Hardy.

"You think maybe you could've picked a better night to bother someone about that?" Lita asked.

"Oh yeah, touchy subject. My bad," Christian admitted with a weak apology. "Edge, you ready to kick some Evolution ass?" he then asked. Here would be the response from the Rated R Superstar:

"I'm the fightingest bastard this industry has ever seen. Of course I'm ready to kick some Evolution ass!"

Main event time. Edge's music started up, then quickly became Christian Cage's music. They did the same entrance from last night on Smackdown, except this time, Edge and Christian are dressed in their competitive gear. Once the fans finished appreciating the Rated R Charisma team, Evolution's music came up, and Orton and Trips came out. The minute they stepped far enough out of the tunnel, both raised their Championships high in the air, most fans jeering in reaction this time as the fireworks burst off the stage. Both walked down calmly and get in the ring the same way they usually do, with the same poses intact. More people eventually cheered, and this sentiment held true when Edge tried to Spear Randy Orton as soon as he came off, only to end up getting sidestepped and his shoulder smacked one of the TNA six posts!

Right there, the bell rang for action, and Randy was turned around by Christian, who came at him with a flurry of fists. As soon as he turned around, however, he landed in a clothesline, which Triple H executed like only Triple H can: with fury.

Following this, Trips noticed Edge writhing in pain in his shoulder, and stalked towards him opportunistically. Trips set Edge up against the post, then hit him with a few cold, calculated right hands. He then irishwhipped Edge, who countered it into an irishwhip of his own, which he pulled back to hit an inverted atomic drop on Triple H. Edge then came off the ropes to hit Trips with a hammer punch to his back. This caused Trips to get up, which resulted in him taking a missile dropkick. Edge then quickly covered Trips, some fans cheering him along with Lita. 1, 2, kickout by the Cerebral Assassin. Edge then hit a snapmare, which resulted in a face lock. Christian got up, saw it, and gave a dropkick down to Trips' chest, allowing Edge to let go as Christian left the ring and Edge was able to cover, again resulting in a kickout after two. Edge then dragged Trips to his corner, tagging in Christian Cage and making many of the Peeps happy at the moment.

Christian then got into the ring, sure to keep Triple H in the corner, where he then hit a good few right hands, eventually having some lefts join in. Christian gave Trips room to leave the corner after that, only to give him a missile dropkick from the other side of the dynasty. Christian then covered. 1, 2, kickout by the Game again. This was starting to be a bit of a frustrating pattern. But Captain Charisma stuck to his game, and Christian went off the ropes as Trips was getting up. Problem with that move is, he was now victim to an Arn Anderson style rolling spine buster. At the same time as that spine buster came, Edge tagged himself in. The referee, though, didn't see the tag because he was so focused on the move itself, so he held Edge back after Edge had gotten in a right hand on the Game. Randy Orton then took that opportunity to run into the ring and take Edge down, then return to the apron. Trips then dragged Christian over to his team's corner, where he tagged in Randy and the Legend Killer got in legally this time. Of course, Tenay and West dished the dirt on this move.

Randy Orton trapped Christian in the corner, where he was able to hit forearm uppercuts and right hands. He then irishwhipped Christian, and acted like he was going to jump up to hit the returning Christian with a dropkick. Christian then staggered back in preparation for the move that did not happen. The fans started laughing for a small moment, but noticing how Orton laughed his ass off at their Peep Man really did not sound too good to them. Orton, though, kept clapping and laughing as he walked around the ring. He then crouched to pick up Christian, who got him in an inside cradle from out of nowhere, though it only resulted in a bare one count before Orton could kick out. Orton irishwhipped Christian into his own corner, then punked out Edge by telling him to come on and imitating the Rated R Superstar, invoking Edge's wrath and causing him to get into the ring. Try as he might, he could not get past the referee, as Triple H choked Christian Cage using the rope of the turnbuckle. Trips soon let go, allowing Orton to get in a clothesline after Christian took a step forward. Christian recollected himself and got up, only to take the dropkick that was heartbroken promise. From there, it was a good while of fresh tags between Orton and Triple H. The two Evolution members were experiencing complete control of the match.

Then came the moment when Lita came onto the apron and distracted the referee while Edge had seemingly left. Triple H was just walking around, continuing to stride himself coolly, waiting for Christian Cage to get up as he signaled with the DX crotch chop sign that it was Pedigree time. But that all changed when he felt a steel chair crack him straight in the skull, then looked up at the Rated R Superstar with an evil smile on his face, and the people were loving every bit of it for once! And why wasn't the referee able to hear and get disqualified? Because Lita was kissing him for those few seconds, which took up his entire attention! Before she let go, she saw Edge and the chair leave one another's company as well as the ring, and finally stopped. This time, fans were actually cheering it on instead of chanting and calling Lita a slut, for the simple reason that the two Evolution boys in this match were not the most highly favored ones among the entire team, especially compared to Edge and Christian Cage.

Christian then took the opportunity to crawl towards the cover. 1, 2, Trips kicked out. Edge and Lita were wondering how he could possibly do that. Both Trips and Christian got back up, and they then slowly but surely engaged in a slug fest. Once it sped up, Christian ended up getting the advantage, and he irishwhipped Trips, meeting his return with an inverted atomic drop, then went off the ropes himself and hit a clothesline! Once Trips got up, he took another clothesline. He got up again, clothesline again. Then, Christian tagged in Edge!

Edge came into the ring and went all the way to the other side in order to knock off Randy Orton, who got right back up and entered the ring out of complete anger. The referee held him back from attacking anyone, but when he saw Edge getting back the chair he had originally hit the Game with, then Christian getting another steel chair, he became irate and shoved the referee aside, knocking him down! Randy then went after Edge and Christian, going to the outside only to land smack in the middle of their famous simultaneous chair shot, the Con-chair-to! Edge and Christian then got up and tried to attack Triple H with it. There was a blond Ontarian with a steel chair in hand on each side of the Game. Both men smacked their chairs against the floor to signal preparedness to hit Trips with it. Fans were chanting "Con-chair-to!" at the scene, hoping to see it one more time. When Trips finally got up high enough, they swung for the fences. But the Game ducked, and both missed. Trips then set Edge down and got him with the Pedigree! Christian came from behind Triple H, however, and tried to get in the Unprettier, but his crashed hands made it take so much time Trips was able to shove Christian out of the ring. The ref finally got back up just now, though, and seeing Edge down as well as the two chairs, he made an assumption, but before disqualifying Trips, he checked with him to see what his response would be like. After determining that it was an honest "no", the ref let him off. Lita got on the apron again, but was found by Trips. She tried to reason her way out of ending up in a fight, even going to the point of flashing the Cerebral Assassin a little bit. But she found herself brought down to the floor and mounted by the Innocent Opportunist named Maria, who then went on to flurry at her. Trips covered Edge, who kicked out after the count of two.

Christian came back into the ring while Trips was complaining and went for the Unprettier again, except this time, it worked! Christian then placed Edge on top of Trips, getting the cover. 1… 2… 3!

"Here are your winners, Edge and Christian Cage!" JB announced as Edge's music came on in the arena. Christian, though, was the one mainly celebrating. Christian then forced Maria to get off of Lita by pretty much pulling her off and throwing her to the floor far away. Maria almost felt like crying, but remembered not to, and actually didn't even come close. But for a while, Christian could sense some kind of feeling stop him at that, but he didn't know what it was. He looked a little quizzical, though. The crowd soon erupted, however, and behind Maria, coming straight at her, was the reason why.

As soon as Maria got up, she found herself being turned around by Miss Jackie, who was yelling on and on about being screwed over again, except this time, it was under a completely different issue than it was last time. Jackie went on to slap Maria, who slapped her right back. Jackie then got in a boot to Maria's midsection, knocking the kid down. Randy Orton was completely down from that Con-chair-to, and Triple H was in a bad predicament because of the Unprettier, and Ric Flair and Batista were nowhere in sight. So who the heck was going to save Maria from whatever the apparently irate Miss Jackie was planning to do to her?

Easy. Nobody. Except for the fact that Jackie decided that now was not the time to continue teaching Maria a lesson in respect. But right when she was about to turn around and leave the Impact Zone, Lita confronted her, and they stared down face to face. After a good twenty seconds, they nodded to each other and shared some words. Lita went back up into the ring to check on her winner, and Jackie turned back up the ramp and left. Christian looked at the whole scene, wondering what in the living hell just transpired.


	22. The Secret of Edge Army

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 22_**  
_Title: The Secret of Edge Army_  
Show: WWE Monday Night Raw (2/6/2006)  
Summary: Edge paves the way for a shocking announcement; Maria faces Lita one-on-one; Intercontinental Championship Royal Rumble rematch.

"You think you know me."

With that, we know that this is Edge's music starting up. This time, though, it did not change into Christian Cage's, as the Rated R Superstar and the Queen of Extreme came out in their usual entrance. They did seem to have more of the people's respect, however, after aligning with Christian Cage against Randy Orton and Triple H.

"Let me tell everybody here something real good," he began, with a surprising mixed reaction. "I thoroughly enjoy being an asshole! (boo.) But that's not why I came out here. Irritating you people lost a little bit of its fun, especially now that I've got bigger things coughEvolutioncough to worry about. So here's the deal. I've got a new group of allies. No, it's not Christian, and nor is anybody else from TNA on my little crew. (boo.) They are all WWE Superstars. In fact, one of them is among the limited but growing number of WWE Superstars who you'd never predict could be on my side. But I'm not gonna tell you who it is. I'm going to allow them to tell us who they are. (what?) I'm gonna allow my new allies to tell us all who they are this coming Friday night on Smackdown! (mixed reactions) That being said, let me enlighten you that-"

The Evolution music interrupted Edge, bringing forth mixed reactions which mainly consisted of cheering. The five members then came out onto the stage, but stayed there, as Triple H had a microphone. The music died down, and the Game prepared to speak.

"Hey, Edge. I'm gonna be perfectly honest with you. I don't care who your secret ally is. I don't even care about the rest of your Edge Army. You can get everybody in the entire roster on me and you still can't beat me for this Championship," Trips spoke, earning cheers of respect at this rebuttal.

"Oh, yeah, just a small piece of fresh advice: turn around," Edge suddenly said. Trips did just that, and he ended up taking a big boot. The culprit: "the Problem Solver" Tyson Tomko! All of Evolution then tried to attack Tomko, who successfully ran away from them.

"Here comes the moneyyyyy! cha-ching Here we go. Here comes the money!"

As Raw General Manager Shane McMahon's music rang and the fans became riotous, they all awaited Shane McMahon's entry from behind the curtains. Little did they know that Shane was actually coming down from within their midst! Those that figured it out, as well as everyone else when cameras finally caught him coming down, broke even further into screaming cheers. When he finally got over the ring, he did his dollar dollar dance one time, then immediately got on his microphone.

"Edge, while I appreciate your sentiment in acquiring an 'Edge Army' to combat Evolution, I don't exactly feel like that establishment is completely necessary," Shane stated.

"What are you talking about?" the Rated R Superstar demanded.

"Over the past week, we've seen the impact that Evolution has had on this industry, specifically on World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. My father, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, has conferred with TNA president Dixie Carter about Evolution, and they have decided that it is dangerous to allow Evolution to have the run of the field. Therefore, I, the Raw General Manager Shane McMahon, have been informed, along with Smackdown Commissioner Mick Foley and Impact Director of Authority Paul E. Dangerously, (yeah.) that we need to buckle down on Evolution's reign by forming a semi-partnership between the three shows. Therefore, your 'Edge Army' would not be the only Superstars allowed to be in league against Evolution, and any anti-Evolution purposes serve as grounds for a Superstar to enter a show other than his own if he so wishes. (yeah.) Also, there are two matches Evolution will be involved in. You, Lita, will go one on one against the Women's Champion Maria, (yeah!) and Ric Flair defends his Intercontinental Championship in a rematch of the Royal Rumble encounter against Shelton Benjamin!" (yeah!)

Shane's music came on again as he left the ring. Edge and Lita smirked as he wrapped his arm around her.

"Oh, and just one more thing: we also decided that at TNA's Against All Odds this Sunday, not only will Randy Orton defend his NWA Heavyweight Championship against 'Captain Charisma' Christian Cage, but there will be a special fatal four way for the Women's Championship. It will be Raw vs. Smackdown vs. TNA vs. Evolution, as Raw's Lita, Smackdown's Melina, TNA's Miss Jackie, and the Women's Champion from Evolution, Maria, all in the same ring for the same goal of winning the Women's Title!" he announced at the stage just before completing his journey to the backstage area.

Even a few minutes later, you can see Evolution frantically searching for Tomko, wanting to beat him down. Batista had a look on his face saying that he was ready to make Tomko pay, which was seconded by his knuckles looking ready.

"Edge is gonna pay! I don't care what kind of Edge Army he's got up his sleeve, that kid will never beat me for the WWE Championship! In fact, we're gonna take down their entire Edge Army!" Trips openly declared.

"And if he dares get in the way to help his friend Christian Cage at Against All Odds, I'm gonna make sure he experiences something that he never thought possible for him to be on the receiving end of!" Randy Orton promised, ignoring the Con-chair-to induced concussion he suffered two nights ago for the first time today.

"Wait a minute. You guys really need to calm down. You heard about the two matches I have set up for you tonight, right?" Shane McMahon suddenly said as they turned around to see him. "And from what I'm seeing, you want to beat the living hell out of Tyson Tomko. Well, I talked to Mick Foley, and Tomko's gonna be a guest on Smackdown so that he can go one on one against one of you guys. See you guys later."

Ten minutes later, Lita was out, waiting for her opponent. Maria came out in ring gear we didn't know she had, her more usual jumpy self, and her own music, fans cheering on that scene.

When the bell rang, the two ladies locked up in the center of the ring. Lita pulled Maria down by the hair, then mocked at her a little bit. Once Maria got up after about ten seconds, Lita threw her across the ring… again, by the hair. Lita picked up Maria and set her into the corner, where she issued her a series of backhand slaps. The entire time, fans were not exactly Lita fans. She walked around with the cocky smirk on her face which would usually fill up for her boyfriend, in both ego and boos. She then went on the turnbuckle, standing over Maria, and attacked with a number of punches from that position. The fans did special counting for that, and the last one was six, before Lita came off and allowed Maria to get out and fall down. Lita rolled Maria over and hooked her leg for the cover, only getting in a two count. This sparked the Queen of Extreme's ill-advised decision to complain to the referee, before she saw Maria about to get up and going onto the top turnbuckle. Lita tried to go for the Litacanrana, but Maria sidestepped it, causing Lita to land flat on her ass! Edge now went frantic and yelled for Lita to get up. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she did, Maria got her in the school kid cover, with her feet on the ropes, and the ref didn't see anything! He counted it, 1, 2, 3! But before she could celebrate in the ring, she was knocked down from behind by Edge, and then out ran Tomko with a pair of handcuffs. Edge picked up Maria with her back turned, then Tomko cuffed her hands behind her against her will. Edge and Tomko laughed at Maria, who looked desperate to get out of it.

Batista's music then blared on, and out came Batista, along with Randy Orton, both ready to kick some ass! Batista immediately went after Tomko, Orton after Edge. Batista rolled Tomko into the ring, picked him up, then hit the Leviathan Spinebuster all over him. In the meantime, Orton was flurrying away at Edge. Batista came down and told him to stop, then pointed to the steel chairs near the announcers' table. Orton got one of the chairs, then whacked Edge straight in the head with it! Evolution's music came on, and the two best friends got into the ring and raised their arms before doing their turnbuckle poses, earning cheers from the fans. Batista then called for security to free Maria from her restraints, and an officer did just that. Once free, Maria instantly ran to the boys, who were really concerned for her safety. While doing this, Randy grimaced a small bit about his head.

At the locker room in about three minutes, Triple H and Ric Flair had just finished observing the crap that went on in there, and Flair got his black and gold sequined robe on to get ready for his Intercontinental Championship defense. Trips made it clear that did not like this Edge Army business.

"Ric, can you believe this? Edge and Tomko had the nerve to handcuff Maria like she was a piece of crap," Trips complained in obvious disapproval.

"I got no gripes about defending my Intercontinental Title tonight, since I know I can beat that mama's boy Shelton Benjamin," Ric replied. "And I know Randy Orton can take Christian Cage one-on-one at Against All Odds. But the GMs are biased against us, and now this Edge Army problem has decided to run amok. What's more, we don't even know who else is in this, and they're gonna reveal themselves on Smackdown."

"This is pathetic. How many times am I gonna… oh, hey guys. Maria, you okay?" Trips said, shifting gears as he saw Maria, Randy, and Batista head back in.

"Yeah, I guess," she finally said after a while. She did not look okay, however. She looked pretty scared. The boys could clearly see it, and Batista was now determined.

"Friday, I want Tomko. I'm ready to beat his ass," the Animal then decided, and this was spoken with such a bass that nobody was going to disagree or argue with him. "And you guys need to look out for the rest of this Edge Army. But right now, Ric, go out there and show the world why you're the Intercontinental Champion."

"Wooo!"

In the arena, his music was already on. He said okay, that he was ready to go, after which he clapped fives with each of his comrades before heading out to the arena, styling and profiling as usual. Shelton's music was accompanied by the embarrassing predicament of having to roll his Big Mama around on a wheelchair before getting into the ring. Flair smiled and looked confident as he and his opponent circled the ring upon hearing the ring bell sound.

The two were almost about to get into a grapple when Big Mama called Shelton over to her. When Ric saw Shelton turn around to talk to his mother, he didn't even bother to find out what the heck it was about. He tipped Shelton Benjamin over the top rope from behind, embarrassing the Great Mama's Boy. (a/n: It's easy to figure where I came up with that. He needs a good nickname, and if we're gonna call him a mama's boy, at least let it be a great one.) Shelton slid into the ring, then immediately went for a clothesline on Flair, who ducked it and hit a thumb to the eye. Flair cornered Shelton, then went on with a major flurry of chops, which only finished when Flair finally decided to let up and allow Shelton to fall forward. Flair then picked up Shelton Benjamin and gave him a right hand, knocking him into the other corner. That's when Mama Benjamin stood up and grabbed Ric Flair's boot, distracting him. Shelton took advantage and gave him a group of right hands, then irishwhipped him and met him back with a spinning back elbow, after which Shelton proceeded to mount himself atop Flair and dish out a few punches. Once Shelton got up, he raised his arms as if knowing he was going to be victorious, leading to many jeers among the fans. He then got in a headlock on Ric Flair, trying to get him to pass out.

After a short while, Flair quickly relied on the will of the people to get back up, elbow his way out of the predicament, and get in some lefts and rights on Shelton. Once he was nearly in the corner, Shelton turned the tables on Flair, taking him and placing him at the corner. Shelton hit right hands again, then irishwhipped Flair to the other side. Shelton then quickly charged at Flair, who sidestepped the Stinger Splash. However, Shelton landed on his feet on the middle ropes. He then had the ability to actually turn around and nail Flair with a dropkick, after which he covered Flair, who kicked out after the count of two. Shelton complained to the referee for a while, after which he tried to pick Flair up by the head. The Nache then countered into an inside cradle. 1… 2… kickout. Both men got up, then Flair backed Shelton into the corner and chopped him a good three times before the referee admonished him with the disqualification count. Flair made a clean break, then as soon as Shelton got out, dealt him a second thumb to the eye, then took down his legs and set in the Figure Four leg lock! Just like at the Royal Rumble, all of Big Mama's talk could not prevent the inevitable: Shelton Benjamin tapped out, and Ric Flair retained the Intercontinental Title.

"Here is your winner, and still WWE Intercontinental Champion, 'the Nature Boy' Ric Flair!"

No sooner did Lilian Garcia say that than did Edge arrive to stalk away at Ric Flair and hit him with a Spear as soon as he turned around! Batista, though, didn't like that, so he decided to come down and give Edge a taste of his own medicine with a double leg spear of his own! Batista then took Edge up, irishwhipped him, and met him back with a major power slam! He picked up Edge, set him in the corner, and thrust his shoulder into him several times. Batista let up with the shoulder tackles, but continued to hold Edge in the corner. Out came Maria, who decided to get herself some of Edge for what he did earlier tonight. Batista held Edge in position, and made some room for Maria to come forward. She then slapped Edge again and again! After what seemed to be fifty straight slaps, Maria finally tired out, Batista turned around, and ended up nailed with a big boot from Tomko! Tomko stared at Maria, who was shaking her head in fear. Out of nowhere, Lita arrived, giving Maria the Reverse of Fate! The crowd erupted a final time when Randy Orton and Triple H came out and scared Edge and company away! Edge's music came on, as he, his girlfriend, and one of their newfound cohorts smiled on walking up the ramp, and Orton and Triple H checked on their partners, each of which was victimized by one of those three. After a minute, Orton looked at Edge and pointed to him, shouting a warning that Edge was going to get it soon. Meanwhile, he grimaced a small tad about his major headache, something that Edge was able to grin about.


	23. The Secret Unveiled

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 23_**  
_Title: The Secret Unveiled_  
Show: WWE Friday Night Smackdown (2/10/2006)  
Summary: Ric Flair faces Matt Hardy, one Evolution member gets a chance at Tyson Tomko, the shocking Edge Army is fully uncovered.

Smackdown immediately began with the Evolution music, and this time, though the four guys came out calm as ever, you could tell by the looks on their faces and the complete bypassing of in-ring poses that they were not happy about anything at all. Maria did not come to the arena for her own safety. Triple H took a microphone.

"Tonight, we're not here for any of the damn crap that anyone's ready to give us. Mick Foley, get out here now. We want our chance at Tyson Tomko, and from what we understand, we expect him to be here tonight!" Trips immediately blasted on the mic, bringing forth crowd pleasure. The crash sound came on, followed by Mick Foley's music and the Smackdown Commissioner himself coming down the ramp in his usual outfit, brand new Smackdown Commish shirt included. He had the smile and the wave to the fans as he usually does. Triple H looked at Foley with a cross expression on his face. Mick then took out a microphone he already came out with and responded to the demands of his former arch enemy the Game.

"Triple H, it's been a while since I last saw you in the same ring as me, so I don't exactly feel like kicking your ass right now, and thank God that's the case. The only problem I have with you is that you're hanging out with this disrespectful, never-know-your-role piece of crap called Randy Orton," Mick said, leading the fans to applaud and Batista to take the microphone from Triple H.

"Hey, I don't think you should've come out here if all you're gonna do is talk about how much you hate Randy Orton. And he's not the disrespectful piece of crap you think he is. Remember, with this Evolution business, he helped train Maria, and he apologized to Stacy Keibler for the RKO he gave her prior to WrestleMania. Now, I know all about his ego, but I also know that he understands unnecessarily going over the line is not an option for us," Batista uttered with clear and loud projection, earning fans' respect, but also the disapproval of few for promoting Randy Orton.

"Right, so we can't have any humor around here, huh?"

"No, Mick. No," Randy replied angrily, taking his turn at Evolution's pass-down mic. "Oh, and I just want to point out that my concussion from Edge and Christian is a thing of the past as of yesterday afternoon, so if you tick me off, I kick your ass." The threat to Foley wasn't taken too kindly to, but he never minded it.

"Alright. Well, from what I understand, Edge and Tyson Tomko are supposed to be coming out here tonight," Mick said, getting down to business at last. "So, here's what we're going to do. Batista, I saw Tyson Tomko lay you out with the Big Boot, which leads me to understand that you're the one who most wants to take a crack at him. Therefore, once Tomko arrives here tonight, he is to come out and immediately be set for a one-on-one match with the World Heavyweight Champion, 'the Animal' Batista! (yeah!) And Ric Flair, Ric Flair, don't think I forgot. There was a match I had in mind for you. I had the idea for you to go one-on-one tonight with the man everybody says has been getting buried around here on Smackdown. And if he wins, he gets a free shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship whenever he chooses any time before WrestleMania. And this opponent I'm referring to is 'the Man Who Will Not Die' Matt Hardy!" (yeah!)

Foley's music came back on, and he gave a cheery smile and a wave, leaving the ring. The Evolution members looked at each other, and soon Big Dave found his comrades all pointing at him and telling him that he had better get the job done. He vowed to do so, for Maria, and for Evolution.

Later on, Matt Hardy's music, "Live for the Moment" by Monster Magnet, came on, and the Sensei of Mattitude had his usual stance, energized, popping out the Mattitude symbol, and pretty much the crowd favorite he's always going to be. Ric Flair was styling and profiling as usual during his entrance, though he didn't exactly seem to be all that happy. He was looking at Matt Hardy like a victim he was going to destroy.

When the bell rang, Matt decided to take the respectful stance by offering his hand to the legend before him. The Dirtiest Player in the Game accepted the handshake, then turned on Hardy out of nowhere with a thumb to the eye! He then saw the opportunity to give Matt a chop block. Matt landed face first on the turnbuckle, coming down hard. Flair decided now that it was time to pretty much dominate. Ric took Matt, picked him up, then hit in a hard right, knocking down Matt Hardy. Flair then set Matt back up in the corner and hit some chops on him, generating some "Wooo!" from the crowd. After letting Matt move forward a little, he came behind Version One and hit a backdrop suplex. He then strutted a little bit, showing a bit of overconfidence. This led to a mild period of control for Ric Flair, which basically consisted of moves focusing on the legs of Matt Hardy. Among those maneuvers would be a single leg crab.

After a long struggle, Matt Hardy finally reached the bottom rope, forcing Ric Flair to break up the play. Once he did so, Matt Hardy took the chance to roll out of the ring. Ric saw it and went down to the outside, then picked up Matt, chopped him, and rolled him into the ring. Matt, though, was able to get up on his feet, and eventually get in some rights on the Nature Boy. Once Flair was leaned against the ropes, Matt then went for a spinning clothesline, but the Nature Boy ducked the assault. He then chopped Matt as soon as he turned around. Matt countered with a right hand. Flair gave a chop, Matt a right hand. This whole pattern continued until finally, Matt used a kick to the midsection instead. The next course of action for Matt was to get Flair up, hook his arm, and get him in the Side Effect! Matt went on the second rope and attacked with the Yodel/Downfall leg drop, which connected. Matt covered. 1… 2… Flair then kicked out. Matt signaled and stalked away, awaiting Flair's rise to his feet. He then booted the Nache's midsection and had him set, but he could not execute the Twist of Fate, for Flair broke out of position before the actual try and irishwhipped Matt into the corner. Unfortunately, he ended up squishing the referee. Ric came over to Matt, took down his legs, then crossed him in for the Figure Four! After a long while, Matt Hardy finally reached the ropes. But the ref was down, so it didn't really matter, just like it wouldn't have mattered if he tapped. The Nature Boy eventually got tired of trying to force Matt to meaninglessly tap out, so he got up and let go of the move. He then let out a huge "Wooo!", but when he turned around, everything changed. He ended up the recipient of none other than the Spear from Edge! Edge then mounted atop Flair and beat his head in with right hands. After awhile, he finally let go, but much to the dismay of the fans and of Evolution's legend, the damage was already done. Eventually, Matt used the ropes to get up and stay up on his feet despite the problems his legs were giving him, so he was up completely just before Ric. Therefore, he was able to stalk away and execute the Twist of Fate. Matt, who never saw Edge, got in the Twist of Fate on Flair. The referee was just coming to, and he counted the 1, 2, 3.

"Here is your winner, and the man with a guaranteed Intercontinental Championship match anytime before WrestleMania 22, Matt Hardy!"

Matt, of course, celebrated getting the free title opportunity. However, he had no idea that Edge had anything to do with his victory. However, he noticed when the end of the match was replayed on the Titantron, and all he could do was shake his head as he walked to the back. The whole time, the fans had mixed reactions. Many cheered Matt Hardy, while many others booed Edge.

"That piece of crap has done it for the last time! I wanna go out there and kill him!" Triple H yelled, frustration beginning to overtake the usually calm and calculating ten-time Heavyweight Champion.

"You're damn right, Trips. You're damn right!" Randy shot in complete agreement.

"Randy, Triple H. Don't worry about it. Edge is out here, so it's pretty obvious to me that Tomko's here too," Batista reasoned. "And I intend to make the most of this opportunity to take out the Edge Army."

Later on that night, Tyson Tomko was indeed in the ring. Batista's music then rang, and you know the crowd went nuts! You also know that Batista was full of energy and set off the stage guns from the middle of the ramp. But Batista, this time didn't bother the steps and ropes, or his poses.

He merely came in and tackled Tomko, getting in about a good ten punches within four parts of the five count. Batista did get back up. He picked up Tomko, set him in the corner and thrust his shoulder into the King of Tattoo several times, not stopping until Tomko had the wherewithal to strongly forearm Batista's upper back/back of the neck area. Tomko ran off the ropes on the opposite side and hit Batista with a running and super vicious big boot to the head! He then covered Batista. 1… 2… just at the last split second, Batista kicked out! Tomko complained to the referee for a little, then stalked away to hit the Animal with that big boot again. He tried for it, but Batista ducked, and when they turned around, Tomko ended up taking the Leviathan Spinebuster! Batista then did the Ultimate Warrior rope taunt, set Tomko underneath him, did thumbs up, thumbs down, and finally hit the Batista Bomb on Tomko! Batista covered… 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, the World Heavyweight Champion Batista!"

Almost instantly after that announcement, Batista's cold glare at the Problem Solver was instantly destroyed. Why? Because he was hit from behind. He turned around and found out that the culprit was Edge. Edge tried to beg off, and he ended up getting stuck in the corner. Batista had his hands around Edge's neck when he was attacked from behind by someone again. This other person turned out to be Cruiserweight Champion Gregory Helms, who had defended his title earlier against Nunzio!

Helms and Edge hit away at Batista when Matt Hardy's music came up, sending the entire crowd into a frenzy! Matt came running out into the ring with a steel chair, and both Helms and Edge scattered out of the ring! Matt walked around with the chair in hand, letting the Edge Army know better than to get back in the ring. Batista got out of the corner, found Matt, and shook hands with the Angelic Diablo, only to find five seconds later his own skull getting cracked in by Hardy's chair! Matt Hardy had just betrayed Batista! Hardy hit Batista in the head with the chair three times after he came down. Edge and Gregory Helms came right back into the ring, and the friends from OMEGA, Matt and Gregory, embraced in the middle of the ring! The entire crowd was shocked, displeased, and dejected at the sight of Matt Hardy aligning himself with the egotistical Gregory Helms and, of all people, **EDGE!** _The very man who had stolen his girlfriend of six years from him and caused his career's ruin!_ An explanation was definitely in order for this! Edge's music came on, and the Rated R Superstar grinned his ass off, flanked by Hardy and Helms as they left the ring. Lita then decided to come down and enjoy a kiss with Edge in the middle of the ring. Matt Hardy actually broke out with a smile on his face, as did Gregory. The entire scene was amazing and appalling at the same time. Out came Randy Orton and Triple H, however, to try to do something about this Edge Army business. Again, the Edge Army scattered out of the ring confidently as Orton and Trips checked on their fallen comrade Batista. Evolution, and the WWE fans, were more than beginning to have enough of the Edge Army.

_a/n: Okay, everybody. I got a little bit of a reviewing response to my… upset display, but a little two-chapter response was not what I was looking for. Don't stop. I'm surprised, though, that I haven't got any thoughts from anyone about adding Maria to Evolution instead of Stacy, for example._

_Anyway, enough of that. I'll keep on with the story, you guys keep on with the R&R, and we'll all be happy. Peace out._

_-P. Dizzle_


	24. Christian’s Independence

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 24_**  
_Title: Christian's Independence_  
Show: TNA Saturday Night Impact (2/11/2006)  
Summary: Christian Cage has disagreements with the Edge Army over not wanting their help to beat Randy Orton at Against All Odds.

The Impact broadcast began with the generic version of Evanescence's "My Last Breath" which Christian Cage uses as his entrance music. The Peep Man made his trademark entrance, being seen at the center of the ramp when the lights came back off, then doing his usual pose of pointing kisses to the Peeps. This time, though, he seemed to be a little less cheery than he usually is.

"Over this past week, Captain Charisma has been disturbed to the point of feeling a little bit under the weather. No, I don't have a cold, or a fever, or anything that's gonna make me be unable to compete or hinder my performance at tomorrow night's Against All Odds. Even if it is, I'm unlike that mama's boy from Raw that couldn't even beat Ric Flair, because I wouldn't really give it worth a damn," Christian stated, earning cheers of respect from the fans. "Tomorrow night, I finally get a one-on-one shot at a Heavyweight Title. The NWA World Heavyweight Title. And all I have to do is face somebody one-on-one for the second time in our careers and successfully beat him here, and I become the NWA Heavyweight Champion right here in TNA! (yeah!) fans start a "TNA! TNA!" chant And by one-on-one, I mean one-on-one. It's supposed Randy Orton vs. Christian Cage, not Evolution vs. the Edge Army! And yet, I find that… my best friend, my 'brother' Edge, apparently doesn't think that I can get the job done by myself. (boo!) According to what I picked up from Raw and Smackdown, Edge and Lita have assembled Tyson Tomko, Gregory Helms, and surprise surprise, Matt Hardy, (boo.) to become their little Edge Army. Now, first of all, I wanna find out what's gotten Matt into joining Edge, seeing as how they had the, uh, infamous love triangle situation over Lita, to say the least, and I also would like to-"

Edge's music interrupted Christian in the middle of his talk, and the jeers immediately came towards the Rated R Superstar, the Rated X Redhead, and their Edge Army, when they arrived to the ring. None of the members took the time to do any of their poses, they just got into the ring by either slide-in or steps and ropes.

"Christian, Christian, at last, you're on your way to becoming the NWA Champion," Edge proclaimed a night early, leading to a mixed, mostly cheers reaction. A smile also crept on his face when he said that. "So why are you in such a sour mood tonight."

"Tell you the truth, it's not really a sour mood as much as a wish for you to stay out of my way. I had my tag team match with you, and I gotta say, it bore its fruit. We continued to be the awesomest tag team in history, we won the match, we swung for the fences in a Con-chair-to, and even got Randy Orton while at it. He had a concussion for about five days because of us!" Christian recalled, proud and crowd pleasing at the same time. "But at Against All Odds, it's me vs. Orton. There's nobody else on that card, and I don't want anybody else getting involved in the match."

"Well, that's just the problem. Christian, I know you wanna do this by yourself, but that's not the point. You're here to become the NWA Heavyweight Champion. If you lose, if you blow it, it's the mid card. Back of the line. You'll never get a shot again. Hell, you won't even win a Title again unless you find yourself a partner or adjust your style to the X Division so you can be a part of it," Edge pointed out, the statement being found unfavorable among the spectators. "You can beat Orton by yourself, but last I checked, your only match against him, you didn't get it done. And the Problem Solver here (points to Edge Army member Tyson Tomko) was actually helping you at the time, remember? (boo!) And I want you to get this gold."

"Let me explain something to you, Awesome Adam, so that even you and the Walking Kiss of Death over here can understand well enough not to be shheads about this," Christian retorted, much to the glee of the Peepulation. "This isn't WWE. This is TNA. Against All Odds is a TNA pay-per-view. My match against Randy Orton is for TNA's NWA Heavyweight Championship. If I were to win this match with the help of WWE Superstars, considering the fact that as you once said, I became the one man bold enough to voluntarily leave WWE for TNA, then it would be completely embarrassing to this company. And this is the only part I don't necessarily like to say, but unlike myself personally, my Peeps in TNA would be much better off if you went into another dimension and never came here again! (yeah!) fans start a "TNA!" chant again So, in case you didn't already get the-"

Randy Orton's music suddenly cut in, and out he came with Maria, both dressed richly, as is the trademark of Evolution. They stayed at the top of the ramp, however.

"Edge, Christian, I can't believe this. You guys are actually in-fighting again? Wow. When are you ever gonna try to get along without killing each other?"

"Hey, hey, hey, Randy, cut the crap!" Edge immediately burst, stopping the Legend Killer's jokes. "We're not in-fighting, you stinktatude case moron. We're trying to figure out whether Christian is gonna accept my help or not at Against All Odds 2006 tomorrow night or not."

"Are you so stupid I have to actually tell you this is a bad idea?" Randy questioned while laughing at Edge's exploits at the same time. "You may have the Edge Army, but don't you forget, I've got Evolution. And trust me when I say that Ric Flair, Triple H, and Batista are more than enough for… Matt Hardy, Gregory Helms, and Tyson Tomko. Although, I still don't understand why Matt would join your team against us. Last I recall, Matt was supposed to be Batista's friend, and you are the one who stole his girlfriend and started the scenario that got him fired from WWE for three months in the first place, not to mention the feud that ensued between you two when he got back that took up all his time on Raw and sent him to Smackdown."

"Don't ever bring that up again, you son of a bitch," Matt immediately shot after taking Edge's microphone.

"Well, explain to me why the hell you're teaming with Edge!" Randy yelled back.

"I'll explain it to you on Raw, but I'm leaving you with one clue. Edge might have taken Lita, but as far as I'm concerned, your friend Triple H is the one that screwed me out of my job," Matt surprisingly stated. Randy was taken aback by this, and so was Maria. They didn't understand what the heck Matt Hardy could be talking about.

Paul E. Dangerously's ECW music theme came on, and out came the Impact Director of Authority through the face's tunnel, leading to major cheers and TNA/ECW mixed chants in the audience. Randy and Maria were at the heel's ramp, so they were actually on opposite sides from Dangerously.

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, there's no need for bickering. And there's no need for indecision on whether the Edge Army will be helping Christian Cage at tomorrow night's Against All Odds pay-per-view. I'm going to make the decision for you," he stated. "But before we get to that, I would just like to make the announcement that another dimension has been added to WWE and TNA's recent semi-partnership, in the form of shared profits, allowing TNA to take its Impact show all over the United States and the world, starting tomorrow night's Against All Odds, which will take us back to our roots in Nashville, Tennessee! (mixed reactions) Now, back to the NWA Title match. The Edge Army and Evolution will be barred from ringside at Against All Odds, as will everybody else that is not in this match! (yeah!) Edge Army complains in the ring, Christian and Orton smile Also, this match will have a special guest referee, and just to cut the suspense, management consultant Dave Hebner suggested to me that I take in this man as the referee. It is the most controversial referee in wrestling history, none other than Dave's brother himself, Earl Hebner! (great mixed reactions arise) Edge Army still complains And as to enforce the ringside ban, I will have four special enforcers standing ringside to ensure that no chaos occurs. The enforcers will be none other than 'the Human Cancer' Raven, (yeah!) 'the Charismatic Enigma' Jeff Hardy, (yeah!) a certain vampire wrestler who used to be the gothic teacher of Edge and Christian, 'the Brood Master' Gangrel (mixed reaction), and the man who Earl Hebner screwed in 1997, Bret 'the Hitman' Hart!" (yeah!)

The ECW music came on, and once again, the only unhappy parties were Edge, Lita, Helms, Matt, and Tomko. Christian Cage, Randy Orton, Maria, and the TNA fans were very pleased at the statements given from Paul E. Dangerously.

In the Impact interview area stood Terry Taylor, trying to get some words out of Miss Jackie about her fatal four way match against Lita, Melina, and Maria for the Women's Championship tomorrow night.

"Last month, I was taken out of TNA and brought back to WWE by Triple H in hopes that I could become the First Lady of Evolution. Everything was going peachy clean and super fine when I made my re-debut at New Year's Revolution and became the Women's Champion," she said in her usual drawl. "I was no longer dealing with getting screwed over by Jeff Jarrett, and Coach Scott D'Amore, and Larry Zbyszko. Life was great for me again. Then, Lita pinned me for the Women's Championship at the Royal Rumble. My heart almost froze, because I felt like I screwed up. And yes, I will admit that I was a small bit happy for Maria after she got Lita back. But as I found out, I was apparently just a pawn for at least the latter half of the whole time. They planned for Maria to become the Women's Champion, and they planned for me to be cast aside. They planned for Randy Orton to whack me in the head with that steel chair. Right now, I just hate Evolution so bad, I could destroy all of them. And I know just how to start. In the Raw vs. Smackdown vs. Impact vs. Evolution match tomorrow night, I need to beat the snot out of Maria so that she has no chance of victory, and then, I need to win and become the Women's Champion once again."

"Congratulations, Jackie. You're finally making a stand for yourself without making yourself look and sound like a fool who's only bent on blind vengeance," a voice said, interrupting her.

"Jeff. Why are you here?" she asked, quickly turning around.

"It's easy. I was the first guy that discovered you after you left WWE the first time. I'm the reason you're even part of TNA in the first place," he replied. "And I think I'd really like it if you could join up with me and my team, so we could have the run of the floor with Evolution, Christian Cage, and every other TNA Superstar here."

"Not if you were the last man on earth, Jeff," Jackie retorted hastily.

"Congrats, Jarrett. You got dissed by a woman again," another voice responded, coming into the conversation. Turns out, it was Triple H, accompanied by Ric Flair and Batista. "Honestly, I don't know how many times this has or hasn't happened to ya, but judging from how much of a pure complete jackass you are, I'd have to judge every time you ever stepped into a club."

"Yeah, and they all got into cat fights with Gail Kim and got the hell beat out of 'em. They know better than that," Jarrett countered.

"So what?" Batista made his own cut-in. "All I know is, Planet Jarrett will not take over this business. That spot has already been claimed by Evolution. You are a sucker who will never even touch the NWA Heavyweight Championship so long as Randy Orton is holding that belt in representation of Evolution. So you might want to get out of here, before I beat the snot out of you, and out of any of your cronies that might decide to get in my way."

Miss Jackie had already left in the middle of Evolution's short banter with Jeff Jarrett, and the King of the Mountain himself now took the opportunity to do the same, being intimidated to a good degree by the threats of Evolution.

_a/n: Make sure you guys tune in for the next chapter. You're gonna get a good match between Orton and Christian Cage. Keep R&Ring, and enjoy!_

_-P. Dizzle_


	25. The Destiny Battle

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 25_**  
_Title: The Destiny Battle_  
Show: TNA Sunday PPV Event - Against All Odds 2006 (2/12/2006)  
Summary: Raw vs. Smackdown vs. Impact vs. Evolution Women's Title match, Randy Orton vs. Christian Cage for the NWA Title.

About fifteen minutes before the show officially began, Ric Flair and Triple H had just arrived at the Evolution locker room. They were going around the arena to see what the atmosphere was like in a Nashville TNA event, and at a TNA mainstream PPV event, before the show actually started. Meanwhile, Randy Orton, Maria, and Batista just decided to chill out and prepare for Randy and Maria's great title defenses coming up here tonight.

"Randy, I'm a little curious," Maria started. "Why exactly did you apologize to Stacy Keibler again?"

"Because, the way we broke up," Randy explained. "You saw it, Maria. You saw me and Stacy kiss in that ring, then me turn around and give her that RKO. It bothered me that I had Stacy as more than a stand, and I just threw her away just like that, just for a mission that was so unsuccessful and dangerous it was tantamount to attempted suicide. And the way I see it now, if I hadn't betrayed her, maybe she could have helped me beat the Undertaker. Instead, like I told Batista, we went from the hot couple to… that."

"Do you consider me as more than a stand?" Maria asked. Batista's eyebrows irked up in interest. He wanted to hear this.

"Maria, you know you're like a little sister to me, and I'm not gonna try to make any move on you, much less turn you into a stand. I may be an egomaniac Legend Killer, but I've got more sense when it comes to you," Randy answered solemnly, impressing the Animal and allowing Maria to feel at ease with their relationship. "You think I trained you and let you into Evolution so I can dump you in the water?"

"Here's a fun plan. Maria, why don't you go back to your interviewing roots tomorrow night on Raw?" Batista suggested. Randy and Maria looked at him like he was crazy or stupid.

"I mean, one last interview. And the one you should interview, is Triple H," he continued.

"Wait a minute. You mean Randy Orton, right?" Randy yelled in objection to the ignoring of his battled ego.

"No. I mean Batista," the Leviathan countered.

"Wait a minute. First, you said Triple H. Then, he said Randy Orton. Now, you said Batista. I'm the one doing the interview, and I think I should interview Ric Flair," Maria cut in, following which they heard the door open as Triple H and Ric Flair came in, looking and feeling pretty good about themselves.

"Big Dave, it actually sounds like you came up with a real good idea. Maria's last interview should be tomorrow night, and her guest should be representation of Evolution," Trips spoke, in accord with the words of his teammates in the room. "However, it can't be just one of us. Let it be all of us." The door suddenly opened, and the three most unwelcome visitors it could possibly be were exactly who it was.

"If it isn't the boys I duped to get in the arena at the Royal Rumble, the Latin American Exchange," Randy said, acknowledging them with a huge grin on his face.

"And if it ain't the gringo that duped LAX, that duped TNA, and that duped mi compadre Eddie Guerrero," Konnan recalled as well, without the same grin of Randy Orton. Apolo and Homicide looked like they just wanted to beat him up as well.

"What do you want?"

"Whattya think? We wanna tell you straight to your face that what you did wasn't cool, usin' us like that to get your own gain. We intend to pay you back, Orton, and just you wait, that's exactly what we're gonna do,"

"Not as long as I'm still the Legend Killer, and my team still consists of the Nature Boy, the Animal, the Game, and the Live Bombshell," Randy said, the grin subsiding to a more serious look.

"Listen. We're waitin' for the newest member of LAX, and he's gonna replace Apolo over here in our 3-on-2 against your Game's former boys, the James Gang," Konnan revealed, as well as went back to talk about the former DX members he was facing tonight. "Then, after that, we still got a real good surprise for ya."

"I wanna see it," Batista challenged from out of nowhere. Everyone in the area looked at him, but he didn't even bother lessening his stance for the simple and common "What?" reply.

"How about you won't see it until later this week?" Konnan answered, turning back and leaving with Apolo and Homicide.

"Hey, wait. Get back here," Randy suddenly called to Konnan. Once the K-Dogg did step within Randy's range, he went on to receive an RKO right in the Evolution locker room! Apolo and Homicide thought to get into a scuffle with Evolution over this, but thought better of it, when they saw Batista ready to kick their ass for a second straight pay-per-view.

The Naturals, Andy Douglas and Chase Stevens, (they can be discerned from one another only by Chase Stevens being the blonde guy) defeated Austin Aries and Roderick Strong in the first match on the card by the Naturals hitting the Natural Disaster on Aries and picking up the pinfall. Then, in an X-Division fatal four way between Matt Bentley, Jay Lethal, Petey Williams, and Alex Shelley, Matt hit a back body drop to counter Petey's Canadian Destroyer, then the young black kid Lethal came in and covered Petey for the win!

Then came that match between BG and Kip James (w/Mickie) against Homicide and the newest member of LAX, Machete. (actually turns out it was a tag team match, but Konnan wasn't planning to play fair) BG and Kip got the better of Machete and Homicide, and Mickie kept Konnan at bay by distracting him whenever he took advantage of the referee being distracted and tried to hit Kip. The James Gang beat LAX when Homicide was running away from Kip James and BG covered Machete after a Pump Handle Slam.

After the match, though, Konnan shoved Mickie aside and the three members of LAX gave the James Gang a beating until BG's father, "the Bullet" Bob Armstrong came down to the ring to try and do something about it. Konnan chickened out and left when the odds became 3 on 3.

So after those three matches went down, Randy Orton and Triple H were flanking Maria as she was ready to come out for the Raw vs. Smackdown vs. TNA vs. Evolution match for her Women's Championship.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Matt Hardy's voice blared. He was booed by the TNA crowd as he appeared alongside Edge and Lita.

"Come on, Matt. Now is not the time," Randy said.

"Last I recall, when a certain Cerebral Assassin over here tried to get me kicked out of WWE, it wasn't my time to leave the company, now was it?" Matt asked, continuing with the very twisted logic that Triple H was the reason his job status was jeopardized and temporarily hapless.

"Tomorrow night on Raw, you can tell me where you keep getting this crap that I screwed you, but I'm gonna tell you now, the man and woman who screwed you are standing right beside you as if they care a crap about you. Everybody knows that it was Edge and Lita, your so-called 'best friend', and your girlfriend of six years, that decided to go on this affair. Everybody knows that as your 'best friend', Edge could have chosen to get in a good word with WWE management so that they could bring you back sooner or not even fire you in the first place. They still could've had your back like good friends are supposed to, like we've got each other's back here at Evolution! But guess what: they didn't," Triple H swiftly pointed out. "They laughed. They mocked you. They sneered at every fan's reference to your name. They allowed themselves, JBL, and other parties to portray you as a whining dick who was trying to ruin their careers and lives because he just couldn't handle it!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, shut up, shut up, shut up," Edge immediately cut the Game off right there before he could influence Matt any further. "That was 2005. This is 2006. Things change in the course of years. The problem between him and me is long gone. He was over it for months! Now, let me get to why I came here. And… oh, wait. If it isn't Maria. The Live Bombshell. The Bubbly Blonde. The Sweet Little Girl. Evolution's Women's Champion. Ah, too bad you have to lose your title tonight to a real diva. (Maria tries a rebuttal, but here's the cutoff) The real diva that's standing right in front of you! Some people call her the Rated X Redhead, as appropriate with me the Rated R Superstar. Others buy Trish's crap about 'Walking Kiss of Death'. And still others still call her the Queen of Extreme. But no matter what you call her, she's much more experienced as a Champion, and as a wrestler, than you, Maria. You, Jackie, and Melina don't have a hoot's chance in winning this match! You're looking at the next Intercontinental Champion, the next WWE Champion, and most immediately the next Women's Champion!"

"Nobody wants to hear any more crap come out of your mouth. Just go," Randy immediately burst out, trying to shoo Edge away. Both he and Trips then got in the face of Edge. Matt joined the confrontation on Edge's side. Eventually, it ended up as Matt staring down Trips, Edge staring down Orton, and Lita staring down Maria. Matt, Edge, and Lita then decided to leave. The Evolution members looked at each other and shook their heads. LAX, the Edge Army, and later tonight Christian Cage? Not the best night ever.

After Maria, Miss Jackie, and Lita had made their entrances, (Lita used her own music instead of Edge's for the first time in just under a year, though he was with her until ejected for trying to intimidate the other Divas) Maria entered out herself, feeling jumpy as is usual during her own music. Randy Orton and Triple H came out after her, when the bell had already rung, to provide moral support. They merely looked at the match as it went on, though Randy got ringside, while Trips stayed at the top of the ramp.

The ring bell sounded off, and all four of these ladies were wrestling inside the six sided ring for the first time ever. (though Jackie is a TNA Knockout, they don't really wrestle). As the four girls closed in on each other in the center of the ring, Lita began the bad-mouthing fest that eventually all four girls got involved in. Melina pushed down Maria, and Miss Jackie elbowed Maria, finally jump-starting the action. She irishwhipped Maria and met her back with an arm drag. Melina, instead of getting up, rolled down to the outside. Lita picked up Maria and tried to get in some action when Maria suddenly hit a few right forearms on her! When Lita was at the ropes, Maria decided that rather than irishwhip her, she was going to try a dropkick. She hit Lita square in the midsection, and knocked her out of the ring through the middle and bottom ropes emphatically!

Meanwhile, Jackie was pulling a Big Show and chopping Melina several times with her bare palm. It was definitely not as impactful as if it were done by the World's Largest Athlete, but it was effective. Melina then pointed to the other stage from Triple H's and told Jackie to look, it's Jeff Jarrett. Jackie looked and didn't see anyone, but ended up being taken down via her hair, which Melina pulled to get that accomplished. Melina smiled to herself as she had just hit a really good move. She got into the ring, where Maria was just standing there and talking trash. Melina took Maria and rammed her headfirst into the ropes, then turned her around and got vicious with stomps to the midsection and eventually stood on Maria and exerted pressure using the ropes for leverage. (referred to in wrestling video games as the "evil stomp")

Lita got up and got back into the ring, hitting several clotheslines on Melina after the Queen Jackal turned around. She then executed a sitting jaw breaker on Melina, following which she climbed up the top and tried to get in her patented moonsault, the Litasault Splash. Melina rolled out of the way, then saw both Lita and Maria down in different positions. She decided to attack Maria, picking her up so that her back was facing her. Melina then tried a spin around face buster, only for Maria to push out of it before getting taken down, and then for Jackie to pull Melina out of the ring and start to the throwing bows! Maria picked up Lita, who came up with a hurracanrana out of nowhere. Lita picked up Maria and set her neck underneath her left arm, then stretched out her right arm. You could tell what she was going for.

"Now!" Randy screamed. As Lita was about to turn around and actually hit the Reverse of Fate, the Innocent Opportunist named Maria did nothing… unless you consider countering right at the point of Lita's turn to hit her with Randy's trademark inverted headlock stretch back breaker something! With Melina and Miss Jackie cat fighting on the outside instead of focusing on the task at hand, Maria was free to cover Lita and get the 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and still the WWE Women's Champion, Maria!"

After the announcement, Randy slid into the ring, then hugged the celebrative Maria. Triple H came down the ramp and got into the ring as well, not to be left out of the small party. Maria, Randy, and Trips held up all three of their Championships in the middle of the ring.

Backstage, they made their way back to the Evolution locker room still raving about that amazing counter being done just like Randy had taught her to do it, but they were suddenly met by none other than… the Canadian Hero himself, Bret "the Hitman" Hart. And he was dressed in his traditional wrestling gear to boot.

"Hey, Bret. What's the matter? Come to get your legend killed or something?" Maria asked, still feeling the rush of her victory.

"You know, Randy, I would make a comeback against your little girlfriend over here, but I know she's just feeling good because of the victory she just got," Bret began, making his first statement on a mainstream wrestling pay-per-view since his career "went down the toilet at WCW". "But I'm telling you right now, the role that the enforcers get to have. See, we're all going to sit down around the ring, and look around from the seats to see if there's any kind of interference coming this way, or if either of you guys is going to try to take any steps on the wrong side of the tracks to victory. If you do try something behind the referee's back such as a low blow or exposing the turnbuckle, I intend on hitting you for it with my chair, Orton. That also goes for Christian Cage. And that also goes for anyone who tries to interfere in the match. Edge Army, Evolution, LAX, anyone interferes, we take our chairs and beat the living hell out of them. Jeff Hardy, Gangrel, Raven, and myself. I was brought here to ensure that the NWA Heavyweight Championship is fought for honorably by two of the best wrestlers in this business, and to enforce that by any means necessary. So don't try to get something behind my back, or else you'd better prepare for some hits." After that statement, he walked off, leaving Randy Orton there to think.

More matches: America's Most Wanted ("the Wildcat" Chris Harris and "the Tennessee Cowboy" James Storm) successfully retained their NWA Tag Team Titles against Chris Sabin and Sonjay Dutt after clearing Sabin out of the way and hitting Dutt with the backbreaker hold/turnbuckle leg drop combination they call Death Sentence. Sabin got back up after the match and made them turn tail after they handcuffed Sonjay.

After taking a Gore off the top of the bleachers through four stacked tables, "the Monster" Abyss found himself pinned by "the Man Beast" Rhino in their intense falls count anywhere encounter. Then, a triple threat X Division Championship match ensued between the champion Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, and Christopher Daniels. Eventually, Joe beat AJ to retain after he hit his patented Muscle Buster on the Phenomenal One. Eric Young and Bobby Roode of Team Canada took on Team 3D and lost after Brother Ray and Brother Devon hit Young with the 3D. AMW tried to jump Team 3D, but Ron "the Truth" Killings put a stop to that.

Towards the end of the show, Jeremy Borash interviewed "Captain Charisma" Christian Cage prior to the NWA Championship match.

"I'm here with Christian Cage, and tonight is the most important match of his 12 year career in professional wrestling," JB stated. "Your thoughts, Christian?"

"How ya doing, JB?" Christian asked right back.

"I'm doing great," JB replied.

"How are all my Peeps?" Christian then asked, leading to loud cheers. "Me, I'm nervous as hell, because the culmination of everything I've worked for over my 12 year career is right here tonight. I've been dreaming about this moment my entire career, even when my spectacular tag team championship and ladder match amazed and practically headlined WrestleMania back in WWE. Speaking of which, all the questions will be answered tonight. I was criticized for leaving a big money contract in WWE to come to TNA. Tonight, February 12th, at Against All Odds, I walk in the challenger, and I plan to walk out the new NWA Heavyweight Champion. See, it's not about the money, Peeps, it's all about championship gold. That's why I plan to beat Orton tonight, because that's how I roll."

Christian Cage's entrance was done as usual, except accompanied by a "Do it Christian!" clapping chant. Randy Orton's entrance saw him come out to large boos when he held up the NWA Title. Then, all the enforcers came out to the trademark music of "the Hitman" Bret Hart, blasting the building off like nobody's business!

Before the match, Jeremy Borash did the ring introductions for referee Earl Hebner, and each of the four enforcers, as well as the opponents Christian Cage and Randy Orton. During the opening of the match, the crowd started a loud "RANDY SUCKS!" chant at Orton, who merely did his Legend Killer's pose and ticked the fans off further. The bell finally rang for this colossal battle. Orton and Cage taunted at each other. They locked up and moved around the ring. Cage got in a headlock and two consecutive shoulder blocks on Orton. Orton finally backed off and stared down Cage. Randy nailed Christian with a knee to the midsection. Orton caught Christian with a drop toe hold and slapped him on the head, then slapped him across the face when he got up. Cage tackled Orton and then chopped him on the chest in the corner. Cage faked a springboard attempt causing Orton to duck. Cage then jumped off and got a quick sunset flip on Orton, who kicked out after two. Orton fought back with a rope guillotine neck breaker from the ring apron. Orton dragged Cage out and snap suplexed him when he got back on his feet. After Christian raised up, they traded right hands. Christian eventually ducked Randy's punch, got behind him, and hit an inverted DDT on the outside. We got a shot of Christian's wife Denise in the crowd. Captain Charisma then went up top and jumped, but Orton moved and Cage hit the guardrail with force. Randy grabbed him by the legs and swung him face first into the railing. Enforcer Jeff Hardy jumped out of his seat and got in the face of Orton, telling him to get it in the ring. Orton sent Cage on top of the announcers' table, after which pulled the Peep Man off and catapulted him on the table. Gangrel got up and again told Orton to get it back in the ring.

He threw Christian back into the ring and hit a big dropkick. Orton covered, but only got a two count. Orton got in a quick takedown on Cage, covered again, and again it was two. Christian got back to his feet and applied a few chops. Orton fought back dropping Cage face first off the top rope. Orton choked Cage on the second rope and continued to do so when the referee tried to stop him with the 5-count. "The Hitman" Bret Hart got up on the apron and pushed Orton off of Cage. Orton got in Bret's face, and the Excellence of Execution pushed him back. Orton then ran off the ropes and jumped high, driving his knee over Christian's sternum, then nailed the Show Stealer face first off the corner. Cage finally fought back, applying a sleeper on Orton. Orton broke out, leap frogged up when Cage came off the ropes, but ended up caught in a powerbomb, after which Christian Cage applied the Figure Four on Randy Orton in shades of Orton's own Evolution colleague, the legendary "Nature Boy" Ric Flair! Orton reached for the ropes and after awhile eventually got to the bottom rope. Cage argued with the referee before getting taken out by Orton with a forearm to the back of the head. In a controversial and highly jeered move, Orton grabbed Cage by the legs and applied the Sharpshooter in front of Earl Hebner. Cage grabbed Hebner and yelled at him thinking we might see a repeat of 1997. Mike Tenay said Hebner better not do it, a sentiment that Bret Hart loudly echoed, being heard threaten to give Hebner the Sharpshooter himself if he even tried to screw Christian! Orton continued to apply the Sharpshooter when Cage countered it and got Orton in the Sharpshooter! Luckily for himself, Orton turned to his back and kicked Cage into the corner. When Christian hit the corner, he bounced off and low blowed Orton on the mat with his head, inadvertently and behind Earl's back.

With both men down, Hebner started the count. Both got up at the count of eight. Cage cut off Orton with a right hand. Cage blocked another attempt by the Legend Killer and dropped him in an atomic drop. Cage took him out with a clothesline followed by a flying forearm off the ropes. Cage nailed Orton with an elbow in the corner, charged, got caught by Orton, and reversed that into a big spike DDT! Cage covered Orton, 1… 2… Orton kicked out. Hebner got hit by the competitors, grabbing his ankle. Cage went up to the top when Matt Hardy suddenly appeared and went in past his brother Jeff into the ring. Christian came down from the turnbuckle, Orton got up on his feet, and Matt went for a right hand on Orton. Randy countered it, gave Matt a right hand, and irishwhipped him into the opposite side. Jeff finally got in the ring and sent the Angelic Diablo out of the ring straight to Bret Hart, who hit him in a Sharpshooter! Finally, with his attention back to the match, Randy went up top, Christian being completely oblivious. When Captain Charisma turned around, he was met by a frog splash style cross body from Orton! Randy stayed on for the cover, but it took awhile for Hebner to recollect himself, crawl over, and count the 1… 2… kickout by Captain Charisma! Orton almost couldn't believe it. He nailed Cage with some rights, Cage called for more. Orton sent Cage into the corner, but unwittingly knocked him into Hebner with force, knocking him out. Cage then got behind Orton and hit the Unprettier! Cage covered, and after a good five seconds, another referee arrived. He counted it. 1… 2… and Orton kicked out! Cage tried to hit Orton with his own RKO, but the Legend Killer pushed off, and when Christian charged back at him, he ducked, then hit his stretch back breaker on Christian! Orton came towards the cover on Cage, the ref rolled over, counted 1… 2… Cage got a shoulder up!

When Christian got up, Orton attempted to RKO him, a move that Christian countered into an Unprettier attempt. Orton managed to push off that, then irishwhipped Christian Cage into one of the turnbuckles. The Man of Destiny looked back and forth smiling before going down to where Raven was, after which he punked him out with a slap to the back of the head. The Human Cancer became irate, chasing the Legend Killer into the ring with the steel chair in hand. Christian got off the turnbuckle, and Orton stopped in front of him. But once Raven swung at Randy, he ducked and it hit the Peep Man! Orton then sent him out of the ring on top of Gangrel! After that, Gregory Helms and (surprise surprise) Shannon Moore rushed into the ring and double teamed on Orton in the corner. Jeff Hardy noticed Shannon and threw him out, but Gregory kicked Orton down in position for the Shining Wizard. When Gregory went for the kick, however, Orton ducked it, then got up and gave Helms the RKO! Out of nowhere, Edge came out, and he went for a Spear on Orton, but Jeff got himself in the way and took the Spear himself. A flustered and humiliated Gangrel, knowing what happened with Raven, came into the ring and tried to assault Orton with the chair, But, the Historic Golden Child ducked, saw the Vampire Warrior hit the Artist of Awesomeness, then RKOed Gangrel and sent him rolling out! During all this, the referee other than Earl Hebner quickly took off, and Hebner just started coming to. Jeff and Helms were out of the ring by now, but that was not the case for the Brood formers. Orton took the opportunity to slither around and wait for Cage, who was just getting up, to complete his rise. The Legend Killer went for the RKO, but was pushed away by Christian.

Orton lingered into the corner, but Christian went after him. However, no sooner did he reach his enemy than did Orton reverse the positions and seat Christian up on the top rope. Orton came up and stood over Cage, who gave him a couple of punches to the gut, after which Randy his an insulting and cocky slap on the Charismatic Addict from Canada, leading to nothing but uncharismatized jeers from Nashville! Christian then got really angry and gave Randy a really hard right hand to the gut, which knocked him down. Little did he know, since he was turned around until he gave the punch, Randy had his body turned around and his hands around Christian's neck just fine so that not only did they both fall off, but the Legend Killer issued Captain Charisma the RKO in the process! After finally catching his bearings within no less than ten seconds, Randy hooked Christian's leg, getting the 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and still the NWA Heavyweight Champion, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton!"

After the match, Orton was handed the NWA Heavyweight Title. Despite the heelish pop Orton's established lately, most of the crowd cheered loudly, while the rest… well… you know. Booed. Mike Tenay said Randy Orton had proven his destiny to be the one that held true, though being sure to point out that he was not exactly bashful about doing what he needed to do. Meanwhile, Christian Cage left the ring and went into the audience to talk to his wife, who consoled her weakened Captain Charisma as the second referee lifted the arm of Orton high in the air along with the NWA Title. All of Orton's Evolution partners came out and embraced the Legend Champion, after which he raised the title high in the air on the corner. Batista then came in the ring and held Orton up in the air as all of Evolution celebrated the victory, the impressed TNA fans cheering on the process with Randy Orton as the PPV went off the air.

_a/n: Told ya you'd be in for a great match between Orton and Christian Cage, complete with Edge Army twists and all. But hey, enough about that. Anyway, on an outside note, I thought it was a little funny when Vince McMahon said "You're gonna go one-on-one with… with ME! I'm gonna kick, your, _ass_!" to John Cena, especially with that look he had on his face._

_Done. Signing out. Remember to review before you jet. I love feedback._

_-P. Dizzle_


	26. Five Straight Nights 1

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 26_**  
_Title: Five Straight Nights #1 / The Great Disturbance_  
Show: WWE Special Thursday Night Raw (2/16/2006)   
Summary: Maria makes a final interview with guests Evolution, Edge steals a title shot, Matt Hardy finally explains his Edge Army transactions.

At 3:00 PM eastern time, Evolution's already in the arena, and they have split into two teams hanging around backstage. Randy Orton, Batista, and Maria are out in one place, while Triple H and Ric Flair are somewhere else. Oh, and I failed to mention that the Animal got a nice haircut over the weekend.

"So, Batista, seriously. You mean to tell me after what happened when the show went off the air this past Sunday that you're not even concerned about keeping your World Heavyweight Title at No Way Out?" Randy asked.

"So, I got another tough title match. What's the big deal?" Batista asked right back.

"That's the problem. If you lose the title at No Way Out, then under Evolution's 'Championship Contract' which we all signed, you're stuck on the show where the Champion's at, not to mention you're not the Champion. And we know that would take a lot of the freeway off of ya," the Legend Killer continued to state the facts, rather skeptical about this new match we know nothing about yet.

"I know that, and I know beating Kurt Angle's not gonna be easy, but I also know that I am Batista. And when I get in a tough bind, I always get out of it," Batista said. "Look how I broke out of Evolution last time. I went from being held back and manipulated by Triple H to beating Triple H three straight times to become and remain the World Heavyweight Champion, in a reign that rivals that of JBL in length of success, as well as pretty much puts most if not all of Jeff Jarrett's reigns as the NWA Champion out the window in every way."

"That's right," Maria said in agreement. "We don't need to worry about it too much, really. We have my interview to worry about, though."

"It's not gonna be some soft-bait interview from the backstage zone. You're coming out to the ring, and so are the rest of us," Randy decided. Batista and Maria looked at him, then at one another, and smiled. This was going to be great. Randy Orton, though, had something on his mind, so he left the group with the words, "I'll be right back."

Meanwhile, Triple H and Ric Flair were out when they ran into the Rated R Superstar and his girlfriend.

"Well. Look who it is! Ric Flair and Triple H, the Nature Boy and the Game. The Intercontinental Champion, and the WWE Champion," Edge said, giving an unfriendly greeting. The two Evolutioners' confident smiles turned into serious frowns.

"Edge, what the hell do you want?" Trips asked.

"What do you think? I want a title shot!" Edge shot (no pun intended) in anger.

"Well, you're not gettin' one," Flair replied.

"What? Not gettin' one? What the hell are you talking about, and who are you to tell me I'm not getting a WWE title shot?" Edge demanded, getting directly in Flair's face.

"He's the guy who brought birth to Evolution after I picked him up in late 2002. He's the guy who helped me, 'the Game' Triple H, stay on top of my game for the last three years straight," Trips answered. "He's the 16-time WWE/NWA World Heavyweight Champion who I idolized coming up. And he's the man who probably realizes, just as I have, that you have done nothing to earn your title shot."

"Oh, yeah?" Edge asked.

"Yeah," Trips answered coldly.

"You're mistaken. I have a rematch clause in my contract. I was the WWE Champion you stepped over to start your little takeover reign. Therefore, all I have to do is go to Shane McMahon, and I've got a title shot," Edge reminded them.

"No, Edge. You're mistaken. Haven't I told you that you've got to earn the title match? You may have been the champ, but you're not the only one we trampled over at the Royal Rumble. Which, Edge, throws your little rematch clause theory out the window."

"Well, I still have a rematch clause to exercise against Maria for the Women's Championship," Lita pointed out. "Either you give Edge a match or I make sure Maria pays with her belt."

"You spent that being in the fatal four way at Against All Odds," Flair said with a smile now coming onto his face.

"Look who I found! Edge and Lita, just who I was looking for!" a voice then sounded off. All four of the members of this confrontation turned around to sight Randy Orton.

"Hey, Randy. Aren't you supposed to be hanging out with Big Dave and innocent little Maria?" Edge asked.

"It sounds to me like you've already started whining and crying your ass off," Randy noticed. "About what? I'm taking a good guess and saying a title shot."

"So? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Wait a minute. Edge, you do want an opportunity to earn your Championship shot, right?" Lita asked her boyfriend.

"That's right! All I have to do is to get Shane McMahon and tell him I want a match against this kid for a shot at any of Evolution's titles, and I know for a fact I'm gonna become a #1 contender, because I'm the Rated R Superstar, and you better get used to it!" Edge screamed out, in an evil grinning confidence.

Randy Orton, Triple H, and Ric Flair all looked at each other as if to say the words, "You've got to be kidding me." Meanwhile, back to Batista and Maria.

"So, what you're saying is, you don't love him, but you're gonna let him think you love him just to see what happens," Batista said.

"Yeah. Won't it be fun?" Maria offered with a beaming smile.

"I don't know. I don't think Randy's gonna be happy about us pulling tricks on him like that. But hey, we're all gonna get a kick out of it anyway," he thought aloud. "So we might as well go joke him over while we live."

"Right. So what do you say?" Maria offered again, the smile not as bright as before, but still existent.

"Your beauty is matched only by your wisdom," the Animal replied, sending Maria into a giggle. "I'm going back to the room. You want to come?"

"Okay, but I'm waiting outside for the others. I wonder what Randy had to leave for, though," Maria said.

"Don't ponder on it too much. I don't think it's anything that serious, to be honest," Batista said as he started walking back to Evolution's locker room. Maria followed along, telling him to wait for her, because he basically scored a one-second head start.

After the show's introduction FMV and fireworks came and tore apart the arena, Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, and the terrible Jonathan Coachman plugged two instances from tonight's show. One, Matt Hardy comes on Raw to finally explain his reason for being in the Edge Army, and two, speaking of Edge, the Rated R Superstar will face Evolution's Legend Killer, Randy Orton for a chance at one of Evolution's three Heavyweight Titles next week on Raw. But for the moment, Maria was in the ring, dressed hotly and elegantly as usual.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I wanted everyone to know that I am conducting a final interview, right here, in this ring, at this very moment," Maria announced, causing a stir in some of the fans. "And, could you please take a guess as to who my guests are, everyone?"

Some of the fans chanted "CENA!", others "EDGE & SLUT!", and still others thought it was "HARDY!" or "HBK!" that would turn out. However, there was a section of spectators who suspected via the "E-V!", and Maria looked at them, pointed and smiled.

"That's right, everybody over there! My guests are my colleagues in Evolution, and their names are Randy Orton, Ric Flair, Triple H, and Batista!"

The Evolution music then came around and rose everyone to their feet. The group walked out calmly and confidently, raising all arms and championship titles in the air, arousing more cheers from the crowd of admiring wrestling fans as the golden pyro started falling down off the stage. Walking down the ramp, the group got to thinking about more expenses that they were going to force on the world of wrestling as they made their cooler-than-Carlito stride and enjoyed the glory of everything. Due to respect, Flair came in first and had the ropes held down for him by Maria. Orton, Triple H, and Batista soon followed, and while Flair strutted his stuff and Orton did his hall of glory pose, Trips and Batista just stood there chewing gum and smiling on either side.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with and as part of Evolution!" Maria shouted on the mic once again. Triple H took another microphone, then stood next to Maria. "Okay, Triple H. Since you decided to come up first, I'm going to ask you something. What are your plans for No Way Out?"

"Well, Maria, before I get to that, I would just like to acknowledge the dogs who took Monday Night away from us this week. Thank you very much, Westminister Kennel Club Dog Show, for making us have to be on the road for five straight nights!" he began on an off-topic note, recognizing the USA Network's big excuse for Evolution to be pretty much getting screwed out of break. "Now that I'm done with that sad excuse, I'm gonna tell you, in front of the whole world, my plans for No Way Out. My plans for No Way Out would be to just chill out and watch the rest of the chumps in the back on Smackdown make fools of themselves trying to put up a pay-per-view like it could ever be great without us," he said to actually started his extended response. "However, it seems that WWE, like TNA, is smarter than that. Combined with the dog show making us come out for five straight nights, they've added a couple of matches on that card. Apparently, No Way Out will be where… this happens. Take a look at the footage."

_Video footage is shown back to Against All Odds this past Sunday, during the celebration of Evolution in the back. Randy Orton's music was going on, when it was suddenly interrupted by the music of Kurt Angle, who came out to many cheers and "You Suck!" chants directed at Evolution! Angle walked into the hexagonal ring, then got up on a turnbuckle and raised his hand, and the crowd cheered. He then took a TNA microphone for the first time to speak to the people._

"_Okay, everybody. I'm gonna make this short and sweet. Now, after this, I'm gonna give Evolution back the floor, as well as the choice to continue celebrating Randy Orton's win here or to start moping about," Kurt promised, leading to cheers once more. "In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I'll tell you. See, I talked to WWE Smackdown Commissioner Mick Foley, and he decided that it was high time I got a title shot at someone from Evolution. (small cheers) Therefore, at No Way Out next week, it'll be Kurt Angle, one-on-one, against you, BATISTA! (yeah!) And it will be for your World Heavyweight Championship!"_

_Kurt's music came back on, and he turned to leave with the arena riotous and Evolution frozen._

The footage stopped there, and we go back to Raw.

"So there you have it. My plan is ruined," Triple H finally said.

"Now, Randy Orton, come here. You have a contest against Edge later tonight. Are you concerned at all about Christian Cage or Matt Hardy or anyone getting in the way?" Maria asked, getting Randy to come over to her.

"As well I should be. The Edge Army's a bunch of damn bastards, and I never once heard that they disbanded," he pointed out to the people. "As far as I'm concerned, with all the crap that Matt Hardy said about Edge, and now to join up with him, I think he's a hypocrite and he should burn in hell! (high mixed reaction) But if he tries to get in the way, I know that my Evolution teammates here have eyes locked on him."

"Of course," she agreed, before putting an arm around Randy. "I know for a fact, that you could definitely take them all," she continued, her tone changing to be more seductive as she guided her hand inside his suit to rub his chest. Randy was slightly flustered at this crowd-arousing sight, and Batista's eyebrows came up. However, the Legend Killer soon distanced himself a little bit.

"Okay, Maria! Are we gonna have some big saga of how many times I've gotta tell you this, or are you gonna get it the first time? You're good, kid, but I don't love you! (boo!) What made you think so? That you're here in Evolution? That I'm not gonna try to use you as a one night stand? I don't even plan on a make-out session with you, ever! Come on, Maria! Have a little sense!"

"But… but just the other day, at Against All Odds, you were so sweet, and you helped me win without cheating!" Maria then said, as if she were pleading for Orton to be with her. Trips and Flair looked at themselves as if to say the whole system has just been destroyed, while Batista conspicuously just laughed his ass off.

Before we could continue to wonder about that, however, Chris Masters' music came up, but the Masterpiece didn't even bother wasting time with the fireworks display. He just came out, rushed into the ring, took a mic, and began.

"Hey, Orton! I can't believe this! You can't even keep your head straight about a girl anymore! I thought you were not only the Legend Killer, but also the Lady Killer as well. But apparently, that masterpiece was nothing more than a misconception, unlike _this_ (strokes a hand down his entire torso) Masterpiece!" Masters yelled with a cocky smile on his face, many of the fans cheering at the comment being made against Orton. Maria looked completely confused, Batista stepped up and got Randy's microphone, after which he made this reply:

"Chris, Chris, Chris. Masters, Masters, Masters. I can't believe you're actually that dumb. You see, I'm gonna explain something to you I should have been able to wait to explain to my friend Randy here once we got to the back. You see, it's real simple. Maria is not in love with him! This was an act to charm and shock the charming shocker as a small joke! (yeahaha!) (Batista and Maria started to laugh, everyone else looked completely stupefied) And apparently, not only do you look the same as Randy would look if he were a beefed-up steroid monkey bodybuilder, (yeah!) but you've got the same senses, too. You were tricked even further than him."

"You wouldn't keep talking if I put you in a Master Lock!" Masters angrily challenged, prompting Batista to tell Ric to get the chair.

"I'm gonna tell you right now, Chris, I could break out of your Master Lock and kick your ass completely in in this suit," Batista said, the crowd cheering again. By now, Flair already got the chair in. Batista saw it, let Flair hold the World Title, sat down, and raised his arms for the Master Lock to be applied. Masters immediately took advantage and racked up Batista in his mastered Full Nelson hold. Masters swung Batista a couple of times in the Master Lock, but Batista finally began to fight it. The fans were going happy once this happened, and Evolution was chanting "Big Dave! Big Dave! Big Dave! Big Dave!" as he continued to battle the Master Lock. It was only a matter of time before Batista finally stretched his forearm back to punch Masters' head behind him several times, then backed up Masters into the ropes with such crushing pressure that the Self Made Sculpture had no choice but to let go! For the first time ever, Batista has broken the Master Lock! After Batista walked around and Masters finished writhing in pain, Batista kicked him in the midsection, did thumbs up thumbs down, and hit the Batista Bomb! Batista's music came up, and he took his championship back, went on the turnbuckle, and held his arms high with the title in hand! The rest of the group celebrated with small hugs, during which Orton made sure to tell Batista with a sly smile that he was going to get him back for that joke from Maria. She tried to get in the way before a fight broke out, but they simply kept smiling as the Legend Killer said shut up, let's go. Triple H couldn't help but to laugh his ass off after finally registering what just happened.

Strangely enough, Matt Hardy never showed up. We never heard from Evolution again before 10:55, when Randy Orton's music came up, and he was dressed and ready to wrestle. He did the glory pose at the top of the ramp, setting off the fireworks, then walked confidently with the NWA Heavyweight Championship around his waist. Although Randy was highly jeered as well as cheered, he still continued to be confident and proud as he did the legend pose at the turnbuckle after getting in by steps and ropes. Then, Edge's music came up, and strangely enough, the Ballistic AC came out with street clothes on, with a microphone, and without Lita!

"Ladies and gentlemen, I got a feeling this match is completely in the bag for me. I am the #1 contender for the WWE Heavyweight Championship," Edge bragged prematurely, bringing the boos, and telling us the title of his choice. This had to be good, especially with Randy shouting his head off that Edge got nothing done yet. "See, I talked to Shane McMahon, and I got the match. But not only did I get this match, I also scored something else via two types of persuasion. (boo!) So, without further ado, allow me to introduce to you, the guest referee for this match, my lovely girlfriend, 'the Queen of Extreme' Lita!"

As Lita's music came on, the jeers stained the crowd big time. Lita came out in referee shirt and black jeans, and even kissed Edge, leading to slut chants, before the two of them got into the ring together. As they walked down the ramp, Randy Orton was soon surrounded. Coming towards him were Edge and Lita, while behind him were… Matt Hardy, Gregory Helms, and Shannon Moore! Orton, though, never knew they were coming. The trio issued Orton a triple team Con-chair-to, after which they lifted him straight into a low blow from Lita, and a Spear from Edge! Lita then went down as Edge covered Randy and counted the 1, 2, 3!

"Here is your winner, and the new #1 contender for the WWE Heavyweight Championship, Edge!"

This announcement came to many jeers, and Matt Hardy finally got the microphone.

"I'm sure you all want to know why I joined the Edge Army instead of trying to destroy it," he finally addressed. The crowd was on fire. "Well, here's the deal. A few weeks ago, Edge came to me to talk to me man-to-man about my screw job. He explained more carefully that he was going to tell me about the affair between himself and Lita which brought them together, and that his actions following my confrontations of him were purely because of just that; my confrontations of him. (boo.) He also introduced me to a new piece of logic. You see, the only reason I was ever gone for three months is Triple H! (mixed reaction) What I heard was that WWE management didn't like me, and that an excuse to fire me had been invented. What I heard was that Triple H was getting under good terms with Stephanie McMahon! What I heard was Triple H say that I never drew money anyway when talking about my termination! It pretty much all makes sense, doesn't it? Edge may have taken Lita, but the only one who screwed me is the Game! He knew I was a threat to some future plan, so he tried to eliminate my career. (boo!) My friends and I… oh, and speaking of that, Batista is not my friend. boo! After the making of Evolution, he spent more time hanging out with Triple H, the dummy girl, and the guy who has disrespected the late great Eddie Guerrero on countless occasions despite nobody else even going there once! I never saw him personally once between the Edge Army and Evolution's re-inception! So don't talk about me selling out my friends! I am the Sensei of Mattitude, the Angelic Diablo, the Man Who Will Not Die! And it was your King of Kings, Evolution's Triple H that tried to finish me! So, it's only the best for me to try to finish him, first by taking away the accessibility, and the Intercontinental Title, of his good friend Ric Flair."

That being said, Matt Hardy dropped the microphone, boos and Mattitude music highly abundant, and the entire Edge Army with hands raised. As Edge and Lita kissed, Matt went on the turnbuckle and did his "V1" hand signal, and nobody liked it. Evolution's Triple H was the most notably pissed out of everyone that was ever in the back.

_a/n: Okay, guys, I think we're having our little review problem again. I've been telling you all that I want my feedback, right? Now, where exactly has it been over the past couple of chapters? And why is it still mainly from about one or two people? I don't like thinking the people are bored with my story. It doesn't exactly let me feel like still writing. I have up to Chapter 31 written by now, and I don't want to have to quit after that because the rest is a waste of time._

_Now, back to my other point. Let's face it, everybody. We all know that there is some place or another in this universe where we would find Adam Copeland and Amy Dumas being a lot more down-to-earth than the post-affair jackasses we see today, and probably not even together in real life. But the Matt Hardy thing? Half the foundation for my idea on that was wishful thinking that Matt and Adam can someday finally get over this grudge, and the other half of the foundation is the chance that perhaps they have buried the hatchet but kept it kayfabed due to the unchanged characters on TV or something._

_Anyway, they don't deserve to be killing each other, and as you have found from earlier chapters, I am a big Edge & Christian fan as well. Remember, peeps. Get back on track with the feedback, and let's all enjoy. Peace out!_

_-P. Dizzle_


	27. Five Straight Nights 2

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 27_**  
_Title: Five Straight Nights #2 / Chain Gang Exchange_  
Show: WWE Friday Night Smackdown (2/17/2006)   
Summary: Randy Orton tries to do something about Rey Mysterio's title shot, and Evolution gets upset on countless levels by John Cena.

The group is in their limousine, which just arrived in the parking lot and is about to drop into its space.

"Dave, Maria. I told you I'm gonna get you back for that piece of crap, right?" Randy reminded them. "If you lose the Title at No Way Out, I'm gonna get you worse than back."

"Heh. We'll see about that. I'm not even gonna lose," Batista said. Ric looked at him, a little worried about his confidence being so over-the-top.

"Yeah. We know. But I want to come out and do something about the Edge Army," Trips said.

"I say we do something about Rey Mysterio's title shot," Ric decided.

"What are you talking about?" Batista asked, knowing that whatever Ric was thinking was not going to be good for his only friend outside the team. Randy was about to ask the same question, because in the midst of everything, he completely forgot that the Human Highlight Reel had this Eddie-dedicated title match at WrestleMania. However, he instantly figured out exactly what Ric was saying simply by that statement.

"With everything that's going on, we can't afford to have a secret #1 contender sneaking up on us," he stated. "Plus, it brings one more problem. Between the Edge Army, Kurt Angle, and LAX's promise, I can't stick around to see this if we're gonna have to deal with yet another problem before any of those are solved. Despite the fact that he might be your friend outside Evolution, I still shouldn't trust him to be an ally and not an enemy. Remember, Matt Hardy was not only supposed to be your friend too, but he was also the man whose love life was antagonized by Edge and Lita. And all of a sudden, he's with them. It's completely embarrassing, but it just goes to show you anything can happen. A friendship damaged like that going back full circle does not happen every day."

"That's right, man. You're all on top of it, aren't you?" an impressed Trips asked. "Tell you what: if you can get Foley to book a match between you and Rey at No Way Out to erase Mysterio's title shot, and then win, we have a chance to focus ourselves on whichever one of those problems decides to plague us at WrestleMania."

"What do we do then?" Ric asked.

"What we do then, is prove Darwin right," Trips answered.

"Some of us happen to believe in God here," a counter-inspired Batista quickly retorted. "Besides, where do you think Eddie is?"

"Nobody said it means we're proving God or the placement of Eddie's soul wrong here unless they got the popular misconception instead of the real theory. But seriously, can we stop talking about that before this show gets shut down? I only meant that as an expression based on our name, not as a statement to start up a religious controversy," Trips explained.

"Good. So shut up and it won't happen," a previously asleep Maria burst into the conversation, surprising everyone within hearing range. You just don't tell an ally like Triple H to shut up. He has done too much in this business in the past ten years. How does this kid muster up the courage to say that?

"Only one girl has ever been on my side and spoken to me like that before. I think we all know who that is. But thank God I'm not married to the girl this time," Trips finally spoke after what seemed like months but was actually half a minute.

"You guys do realize the limo stopped about ten minutes ago, right?" Batista asked the group.

"Oh. My bad," Maria apologized. "I forgot to tell you guys."

Rey Mysterio has been on a great winning streak since his victory at the Royal Rumble. The name of Eddie Guerrero did reap many benefits as far as getting his adrenaline up enough to get the job done, and he is coming towards WrestleMania with a vengeance.

Rey had the first match of tonight's Smackdown, going one on one against Sylvan. We are now at the finishing point of the match, where he had Sylvan in position for a 619 on Smackdown. It connected, and Sylvan was sent down on his back, ripe for the defeating. Mysterio went to the apron, leapt up to the top rope, and dropped the dime on Sylvan. He covered the Smackdown Fashion Consultant and got the 1, 2, 3!

"Here is your winner, Rey Mysterio!"

As Mysterio got his hand raised and mildly celebrated this small victory on the way to the grandest stage of them all, Randy Orton's music suddenly met the scene, to a loud chorus of cheers which quickly transformed to boos. Randy came out, still in his suit, with his NWA Heavyweight Title belt on his shoulder, and by himself for once. Holding a microphone, the Legend Champion made his way into the squared circle, not bothering to pose at all.

"Rey Mysterio. Congratulations. You're making it on your way to WrestleMania, and you are absolutely on fire!" Randy acknowledged, leading to cheers grained from the fans' respect for Rey. "You know, I'm actually kind of glad that I came out here face to face with you. I know you won the Royal Rumble even despite a TNA Superstar invading it at the end, that your Rumble victory translates into a title shot at any Heavyweight Champion at WrestleMania 21. But the problem I have with that is, you don't deserve your title match at WrestleMania." (boo!)

"Hey, Randy. I don't know where you're comin' from with this that I don't deserve my match," Rey stated in rebuttal, "but all I know is, I won the Royal Rumble. I got the title shot. And unless you've got some real good reason for me or anyone to believe I didn't earn this, all I remember is everybody being tossed out, me being the last man standing in the middle of the ring, my name being announced as the number one contender at WrestleMania for a title of my choice, and me going into the back and watching Maria, you, Batista, Flair, and Triple H make your first move as a team since the plan that Batista told me about since the moment you guys even contacted him about it. (small cheers) There are two reasons I didn't snitch on you guys. One, because I may not have been involved in drug trafficking and all that stuff, but I do know the street code of death before dishonor. Batista is my friend, and Eddie Guerrero's friend, and I **never** betray my friends. (yeah!) Two, I never got enough details to tell on you guys even if I wanted to."

"That's all fine and dandy, Rey, but all I know is this. Eddie Guerrero was a great man, both as an entertainer, and as a person," Randy said honestly, arousing small cheers of appreciation from the crowd. "With every piece of 'disrespect' from the tribute episode to LAX that you guys can throw at me, (mixed reaction) none of it really means anything. Just like a certain little bunny I'm in the ring with being able to outlast 29 other men in a match of not being thrown over the top rope doesn't mean he should be facing me, or Triple H, or Batista, at WrestleMania! (boo!) So, here's what I plan to do about it. Rey, I am challenging you to a match, one on one, Legend Killer vs. Human Highlight Reel, this Sunday night, from Baltimore, Maryland, at No Way Out. A match that goes like this:"

"Let me guess what kind of match you got in mind there, and you tell me if I got it, alright?" Rey cut him off, cheers coming in as Randy froze and began to look more unpleased with each passing second. "So, let me get this. If I, Rey Mysterio, (yeah!) accept this match and lose to you, then I no longer have my title shot at WrestleMania. However, if I accept this match and go on to beat you, then my title shot is chosen right there, where it's Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton for the NWA Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania!" (yeah!)

"Yeah, you got it. You got that exactly right. I'm gonna look forward to kicking your ass and making sure-"

"Wait a minute, I never accepted or declined the match yet. I'm gonna tell you right now, though. You want to face me for my title shot at your NWA Title at WrestleMania? (yeah!) Well, on behalf of Eddie Guerrero, you're on, Randy!" (yeah!)

"Will you stop using Eddie Guerrero's name to plug yourself with adrenaline? You sound like a broken record! It's not like overplaying his name like that is gonna bring him back to life! Get a grip!" Randy immediately yelled. The statement being very candid and unpopular, Randy stood through a most intense flow of jeers. "No, you people don't understand where I'm coming from. I don't know what Mr. 619 here is trying to do, but it sounds to me like he's trying to forever tie his own legacy to that of Eddie Guerrero."

"Hey, don't accuse me of using him for my advancement when all I'm here to do is keep Eddie's memory alive!" an understandably irate Rey shot, instantly cutting off Orton at the pass before he could make an even bigger ass of himself. Orton then came towards Rey Mysterio and slapped him square in the face, a highly displeasing move. Rey then shot back with a couple of forearms to Orton, then an irishwhip into a missile dropkick. Orton was sent rolling out of the ring, trying to get himself out of here, but Mysterio intercepted his path vaulting himself over the ropes for a cross body takedown! After collecting his bearings, Mysterio stayed on one knee and started punching the downed Man of Destiny square in the face, before Triple H and Ric Flair of Evolution came out and pulled Mysterio off with force, then helped their young comrade stand up and leave. Rey's music went on, but he didn't feel happy now. Nor did Evolution.

Five minutes later, the five Evolution Superstars are in their locker room, and Randy is grimacing in pain and favoring his forehead due to the assault by Mysterio.

"Come on, guys. You've gotta be kidding me. All Randy did was say something he really thought was going on," Triple H began venting frustration. "What business does Mystery Man have trying to assault people around here?"

"Ow, my head!" Orton moaned.

"I hope he didn't get a concussion or anything," Maria said with a concerned look on her face.

"Okay, I think I need to go talk to Rey. See if I can't get his head straight a little bit," Batista decided, leaving the locker room to go look for Rey Mysterio. However, it was only a few steps away when he did find him.

"Rey, what's up?" Dave said, as the two shook hands and bumped shoulders.

"Hey, man. Look, what happened a few minutes ago-"

"I know why. You think he disrespected your friendship with Eddie Guerrero. And to tell you the truth, he kind of did," Batista said, cutting off Rey to say that he understood.

"You know you're a few steps away from that room," Rey pointed out, pointing to the Evolution room Batista just left. "Don't you think you could get kicked out?" Rey asked.

"Nah. There's no leader this time," Batista said plainly. "I thought I already told you. Anyway, seriously. You might want to tone it down a little. Triple H and Flair are going to be after you if you keep this up much longer, and if it gets bad enough with you, I'm gonna have to step in too."

"You know I'm not doubting your loyalty, but I know that's why you would do that. You're not my tag team partner anymore. You're part of Evolution. If you've gotta come after me, don't-"

"I'd rather not have to. But if it gets there, you're coming face to face with the Animal. And nobody has done that without any problems. Think about it," Batista advised Rey before walking off to get some water. Meanwhile, Mysterio looked on, slightly pouting and shaking his head. He was soon found by someone in a black robber outfit, gloves and mask included, with a bandana covering his face. The person spoke, and Rey could barely hear a "Come on", prompting him to follow this person.

In the meantime, Kristal Marshall was interviewing someone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here with none other than Raw's former WWE Champion, John Cena," she said. Fans cheered and booed loudly back at the arena once Cena showed on the arena. Kristal continued. "Now, John, I understand you have an important announcement as it relates to Evolution."

"Yeah. I'd like everybody up in this piece to know that I got somethin' for Evolution tonight. I know they ain't ready fo' dis, but they better come get it," Cena began. "See, I know I got my fair title shot against Batista, and he beat me wit'out cheatin' at all, but the fact still remains that I don't like what's goin' on here with these bums commandeerin' the business where a thug's s'posed to roam free a lil' bit. But let me just get to it instead of borin' y'all to death. See, I ain't the most popular star in this company for two reasons: my ability can't translate to great wrestling, and I get people's girlfriends droolin' wit'out even tryin'. Now, onto my main point. I'm gon' give y'all somethin' special tonight. You can take it as more reason to ride wit' me, or you can take it as more reason to hate me. It all depends on you. But I got some'n Evolution won't soon forget. Trust me on that."

Meanwhile, Batista's entrance music theme came on, and the Animal came out with Maria. The man in the black pinstripe suit and the girl in the pinstripe dress went to each end of the stage to loud cheers. This time, though, Batista didn't set off the stage guns, but just went down the ramp. Batista went up the steps first, but mainly to hold down the second rope for Maria to get in through. Batista then did the muscular raised arms thing with the World Heavyweight Title on two of the turnbuckles, then quickly got his microphone. He had something important to say tonight. However, before he could speak, he was laced with the chants of "BATISTA! BATISTA! BATISTA! BATISTA!" for aobut twenty seconds.

"Okay, guys. I'm gonna make this quick. I need to see my competition at No Way Out face to face, right here, right now. So, Kurt Angle, if you could please do me the honor of coming-"

Kurt's music did indeed ring, and out came the Olympic Champion to an even bigger response, consisting of cheers and redirected "You Suck!" chants. He went in through steps and ropes and raised his arms at a turnbuckle before getting his mic as the music stopped. Not knowing who to chant for now, the crowd merely cheered their hides off.

"You know, Batista, it seems to me like Evolution's got a lot of problems going on around here. And yet, you're still calling me out here to see you before our match," Kurt observed. "So, let's have it. What makes you think that you can beat me? (small cheers) Listen to me. I'm Kurt Angle! The only Olympic gold medalist in WWE history! (yeah!) I'm the best person at beating people in ways that haven't even been invented yet since our good friend, the late great Eddie Guerrero! (yeah!) (fans start "EDDIE!" chant) Despite the fact that I know who you are, I know who I am, too. So I've got every intention on kicking your ass this Sunday at No Way Out, so that I can become once again the World Heavyweight Champion!"

"You know, there's somewhere we've got something in common," Batista stated, not seeming intimidated. "You see, I know who you are, Kurt, and I know what you can do. I've observed my share of your matches throughout your career, as has everyone else in this arena, (yeah!) but I pride myself on being the greatest combination of speed and power that this industry has ever seen. Not to mention, Baltimore's closer to home for me than any other place we've gone to for Smackdown. The key word being closer, so Washington doesn't count, but anyway, that gives me home field advantage. Therefore, I feel like I'm worthy of being the Champion, and I feel like I'm gonna be able to prove it this Sunday, when I get you in a Batista Bomb and I pin you 1, 2, 3."

Then came John Cena's music, and the mixed reaction came about greatly, an action which echoed itself when the man appeared at the stage in his "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect" Chain Gang T-shirt and trademark black short jeans. But what business did he have here? I know he said something about something special, but… what? But don't worry. Don't fret in fear, people. Because the answer is coming up next.

"Okay, it's time for me to explain to everyone here exactly what's… wait a minute, do I see who I think I see out here?" Cena asked, looking at Maria. Many fans cheered, while a good variety stayed silent. "Maria, I'm tryin' to hold back cause I know the Animal here's gonna be lookin' to whoop my ass after I say this, but I just gotta say it. Girl, you look good!"

"You're damn right I intend on whooping your ass for this, as does, not would, but **does** the rest of Evolution," a now stern Batista immediately retorted with cheers in the background. "We don't like anyone making those cheap comments hitting on Maria. Let me stress this once and for all: she is not a ho. If you want someone like that to hit on, go look for Lita."

"Ah, you got a real good comeback there, don't ya?"

"You're stretching towards a thin line, John. All you have to do is cross its plane, and each and every one of us is coming to beat the living hell out of you."

"So I can't tell your girl she looks good? She ain't goin' wit' any o' ya," Cena pointed out.

"Get it through your head. If you lay so much as a fingertip on her, that table is gonna need renovations," Batista finally promised Cena, pointing to the announcers' table at ringside. The crowd was now on fire.

"Okay. Batista, shut up, and Cena, get to your point! I hope you don't mean to tell me you put us all on suspense just to tell Maria she looks good and draw Evolution's ire!" Angle immediately shot in anger.

"A'ight, lemme stop skirtin' around and cut to the chase, and Kurt, you can go to the back," Cena replied.

"I'm not going to the back for squat, Cena. I wanna know what the hell's going on around here," Angle declined heavily, the crowd behind him.

"Really? Then you gon' just have to get beat down wit' Big Boi over here. (ohh!) See, here's the deal. Batista, I had my match, one-on-one against you, for the World Heavyweight Title, the first week of Evolution's big reign, last time I showed up right here on Friday Night Smackdown!" Cena pointed out to a mixed crowd reaction. "Now, despite how great that match turned out to be, the way I figure it is that still ain't no kinda compensation for the bull you and your Evolution homeys pulled at the Royal Rumble, and I ain't just talkin' about me and Edge. See, I kinda met up wit' some guys that also had to deal with the crap you guys did to establish yourselves as the biggest thing in the history of wrestling. (mixed reaction) So, all I gotta say is, hate it or love it, just like the rapper Game said, but allow me to introduce to you the newest subdivision to the Chain Gang. (small cheers) TNA's Konnan, Homicide, Apolo, and Machete; the Latin American Exchange!"

The crowd reactions were still not completely unified, but the majority was definitely jeering this decision. As their music came on, the four members of LAX suddenly rushed the ring. LAX and Cena now had Angle and Batista surrounded. However, in almost no time at all, Randy Orton, Triple H, and Ric Flair all made their way to the ring, ready to fight with the LAX and Cena! Triple H then fought Cena, Batista fought Konnan, Angle fought Apolo, Flair fought Homicide, and Orton fought Machete. The battle was divided by five, but Angle and Evolution eventually did manage to pick up the other hand and clear the ring. The only enemies left inside the squared circle were Konnan and Cena, and they were ripe for the beating. But before any member of Evolution could do any damage, out came Rey Mysterio once again, and this time with a steel chair in hand! Triple H tried to lunge at him, but he ducked the clothesline and threw the chair to Randy Orton. Orton instinctively caught it, and Rey took advantage, dropkicking the chair straight into Randy's face! Randy ended up rolling outside the ring to get back on his feet. Once he did so, Rey leapt over the top rope to hit Orton with a cross body takedown! Konnan, who was wearing all black, got out his slapjack, and attacked each member between Angle and Evolution, as did Cena with his Word Life chain! Konnan and Cena looked down at Orton, who Rey was beating down upon with fists. Mysterio's beatdown of Orton was actually the only part of this anti-Evolution insurrection that actually was cheered for. The Human Highlight Reel soon did get back up on his feet. Machete, Apolo, and Homicide got back up on the outside and were planning to continue the assault when Konnan came down and told them to stand back. Cena, though, decided that that wasn't enough. He picked up Orton, lifted him over his shoulder, and gave him the F-U right through the table!

As Rey Mysterio left the area completely, John Cena and Konnan lifted their arms up in the Word Life signal, the rest of LAX behind them. After months of constant hints of jeers, John Cena has finally turned heel, doing what he had to do in order to stop Evolution for at least this one night. Maria tried to go down to check on Randy Orton, but the most surprising thing happened after that: she was assaulted from behind, then picked up and sent into the steel steps, by none other than the Double Covergirl herself, Torrie Wilson! Torrie did a little trash talking, then looked up at Cena and LAX inside the ring. As the people continued to jeer their hides off, Torrie yelled at Apolo to get out here. The Puerto Rican big man went outside and took a big roll of black duct tape out from undernath the ring, and came over to Torrie as she picked up and held Maria's hands behind her back. Apolo then took some of the tape and tied up Maria's hands with it! After this, Apolo rolled Maria into the ring, then threw in the tape. Homicide then tied it around Maria's legs! Apolo and Torrie both slid in, and all six people, them included, raised at least one arm up triumphant. Torrie, in a black dress, then came over to John Cena (yes, I have slightly resigned to this) and gave him a big wet unpopular kiss. The boos were so loud they could be heard outside the arena. Michael Cole and Tazz were speechless at the announcers' table.

"Nobody could have told me that this was going to happen here tonight," was all that Cole could manage to even mutter. And personally, as John Cena's music goes on here, I agree with him.

_a/n: Yeah, I know Apolo and Machete aren't gonna be partners any time soon. I know Apolo was released from TNA Wrestling in real life, and that Machete was added as a replacement, and then even he was split from the group. But honestly, I don't care. I'd rather have all of them._

_Anyway, that's beside my point. Cena's thug gimmick has kinda gotten a little too goody-goody, so this would be a perfect twist. Plus, as you have observed, I know how to make Cena not suck in a match. Hopefully, I can work in a match with him having a long momentum period, maybe even long enough to say he wrestled as a heel. Anyway, those of you who plan on reviewing, I'd appreciate if you could include in that review a favorite choice out of these five:_

_Abyss, Jeff Hardy, Raven, Gangrel, Christopher Daniels._

_And keep your eyes peeled in the future for one of these characters. Anyway, that's just about it. Keep on reading and reviewing, we'll be cool._

_-P. Dizzle_


	28. Five Straight Nights 3

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 28_**  
_Title: Five Straight Nights #3 / Impact Turbulence_   
Show: TNA Saturday Night Impact (2/18/2006)  
Summary: A #1 contender's match arises of the NWA Title, and Evolution receives help against Cena and the Latin American Exchange.

The Impact broadcast began with Jeff Jarrett's music coming on. The King of the Mountain soon came out to an unwelcoming reception along with Gail Kim. He and Gail did their trademark pose in the middle of the ramp, setting up the stage fireworks, then did it again in the ring. The boos (along with "PLEASE RETIRE!" chants) came abundantly throughout the entire entrance.

"Randy Orton, I want you to get your monkey butt out here right now and listen to what I've got to say! (boo!) I'm not gonna listen to these idiots or go on a long promo to try and appease them! I'm not gonna come up with some stupid jokes for these people to enjoy! I'm just gonna skip straight to the chase and challenge you, Mr. Legend Champion, one-on-one, for the NWA Heavyweight Championship which should be mine!" he instantly challenged, the heavy boos still not relenting.

Before anything else could happen, however, Monty Brown came out, and people actually cheered this intervention as Brown came out. The Alpha Male didn't spend any time doing his usual taunt, but came into the ring with a most serious look on his face.

"Jeff Jarrett! Let me try to explain something to you! You have been leaning back on your father's post within the company for far too long!" Monty immediately shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Jeff demanded.

"Your father Jerry started this company, and you've owned one legion or another within TNA all the time, allowing you to win six times the NWA Heavyweight Title over the past few years. However, my friend, you are not the best wrestler here in TNA. You were exposed when, by yourself, you failed to beat Christian Cage in that battle royal," the Master of the Serengetti explained.

"You teamed with Abyss in the middle of that match, and neither of you could even get it done!" Jarrett retorted.

"Because you, Rhino, and Christian all teamed up against us the minute you realized what was going on!" Monty answered right back. The fans cheered their hides off after Brown's answer, then again after Christian's music started up, and Captain Charisma came out, interrupting their little face to face meeting.

"As far as I'm concerned, all you're doing is talking crap, because I don't believe either of your candy ass for one second!" Christian began, leading to cheers. "See, the fact still remains that after we were all done taking care of all the alliances, it was one-on-one, me vs. Jarrett, and Jeff, I pinned you in the middle of the ring with my Unprettier, 1-2-3!" (yeah!)

"Christian, you got lucky that time, and you know it. You would have never beaten me in the ring had I not tried to use the ref!" Jarrett hastily replied.

"That's all you can do! Use the ref, Planet Jarrett, guitar, cheat your ass off! (yeah!) That's the only way you've ever been able to win a match against a star your level in your life!" Christian replied right back.

Randy Orton's music finally rang, and the jeers instantly followed as the Legend Killer came out, same as usual, and stayed at the ramp opposite Christian's.

"Monty, Jeff, Christian. Why are you out here killing yourselves for a title shot when you know all three of you would get your asses kicked out there if you tried to go up against me?" Randy asked the three.

"Oh, please. Legend Champion, you couldn't kick my ass if your life depended on it," Jeff Jarrett countered.

"Excuse me for not manipulating Miss Jackie Gayda like you did," Randy retorted with a smile, "but you're a used up old man, Jarrett. Can't you tell people want you to quit?"

"I don't care if they wanted me to crawl into a rat hole and die. I'm still the King of the Mountain, and I'm still takin' back my NWA World Championship!" Jarrett angrily yelled.

"As if that's ever gonna happen, you chumpstain of stinktatude," Christian cut in, reverting to old lingo from his tag team with Edge.

"What about me? Where's my title shot?"

"I'll tell you where your title shot's at!" another voice suddenly replied. The four of them all turned around towards the ramp opposite Randy Orton's, to find the man the Impact fans cheered for, the Director of Authority, Paul E. Dangerously!

"Paul E.! I want my title shot, and I want it now!" Jarrett immediately shouted at the DOA.

"You keep talking and you won't even get a title shot!" Paul E. shouted right back.

"Won't get a title shot?"

"Here's the way this works. Tonight, the three of you in the ring will have a triple threat match as our main event tonight. The winner of that match will face the NWA Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton on March 12th at Destination X, for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship!" the heralded Director of Authority announced. His music came on as he left the area. Randy Orton was smiling as the three men who could end up facing him in three weeks already got in each other's faces and started jawing away at each other.

Meanwhile, in the back, John Cena was standing somewhere outside the building, with the Latin American Exchange, Torrie Wilson, and Maria, who they still had tied up from last night on Smackdown.

"Great. Now Evolution's gonna come walkin' straight to us," Konnan said, patting Cena's shoulder a little bit.

"Then, it's turtle trashin' time," Apolo added as he prepared his fists for the stomping. Torrie was closer to Cena than anyone else in the picture.

"Seriously, Johnny man. Could you give me a little answer as to how the heck you and her… happened?" Machete asked, coming closer to Torrie and Cena.

"Yo, Machete, don't worry about it. We've been cool for awhile, and things just got a little rocky between her and her friends, so I picked her up. The rest is history," Cena explained. "Speakin' of which, man, Evolution knows they better give Torrie and me a couple title shots, cause the Sweet Little Girl's fate is in our hands, and that ain't no mystery."

"He ha ha ha. I like that," Konnan responded to the small rap.

"Hey, Konnan! You're not gettin' away with this!" a voice then shouted from somewhere behind them.

"Huh? Oh, not him again!" Konnan yelled in frustration before he and the LAX went after the intruders, who were a rushing and angry BG and Kip James, the James Gang. Torrie Wilson and John Cena stood there watching, until a brown haired girl came in rushing from the fold and even tackled Torrie! Cena grabbed the girl by the hair, and as she struggled to get free, he turned her around and got a bit of a good look at her.

"Mickie James. Hmm. Kinda figured you'd be hangin' with them," he said. "After all, once a James, always a James, no matter what James blood." He then threw her onto the ground and picked up Torrie.

"You alright, babe?" he asked her. She nodded her head.

"Hey, Cena!" a voice then shouted. As soon as he turned around in its steps, he found himself being attacked by a steel chair shot from none other than Jeff Hardy! Meanwhile, "the Truth" Ron Killings joined the fight on BG and Kip's side against Cena's LAX comrades. Torrie was then shoved onto the ground by someone, who then proceeded to untie Maria's mouth, hands, and legs, then help her up.

"Stacy Keibler? What are you doing here?" a confused Maria asked.

"Never mind that. We don't like LAX," she said in reference to the group that had all come against them just now. "Are you okay?" she then asked.

"Yeah, but I'm still-"

"Jeff, you can let go now!" Stacy shouted to him, after which he got off, said "right", then evened the struggle against LAX. That was all the Truth, B-Gizzle, and the Outlaw needed in order to take advantage against LAX. Maria quickly fled the scene, as the fight continued without her in sight.

About 6 minutes later, Randy Orton was already gone from the building. He felt like getting some sleep back in his hotel, and before he left, he had told his teammates to keep a lookout in case they heard something about Maria. Triple H was calling someone on his cell phone.

"Hey, Outlaw. You got her out safe? Yeah? Thanks. I knew I could count on you guys. Now, you're sure she's out and she's coming to us soon? Good. I'm expecting Nache and Dave to come back here with her in the next five minutes. Alright, man. I got ya. Talk to you later. Bye."

Triple H looked up to the sky and sighed after hanging up his phone. He was certainly hoping that Kip James was telling the truth, and that he was absolutely sure she got away from LAX. After all, if this wasn't the case, Randy Orton wouldn't hear of it. Randy was not the type to excuse failure, as we learned when he was beaten by the Undertaker at Hell in a Cell a few months back, which was the ultimate mark of him failing to beat the Undertaker's legend. The Legend Killer was so down in the dumps he was practically subservient to Booker T before Evolution came around. And especially now, when it came to Maria, who was indeed a bit of a touchy subject for Randy as well as the rest of the team. Trips was interrupted from this small time of reflection by the door opening.

"Batista. So, what's the news?" Triple H asked.

"Look behind me," Batista said, stepping aside to reveal a smiling Maria. She let out a huge screaming yell of joy and came into the arms of a smiling Cerebral Assassin. Ric Flair then came into the room, smiling his face off and doing the "Wooo!" in trademark fashion.

"I already called Randy and told him what's up, so he's got nothin' to worry about. BG, Kip, Mickie, Stacy, Jeff, and Killings got her out, and when Randy opens the door to his room tonight, he's gonna find all four of us, stylin' and profilin', ready to party all night long, as if LAX never happened! Wooo!" he burst.

"Wait a minute. As if LAX never happened?" Trips asked in concern.

"Yeah. As if LAX never happened," Ric answered, sounding a little nervous and confused.

"No, we can't," Trips disagreed.

"What?" a surprised and still befuddled Nature Boy asked.

"Nope, Ric. He's right. We can't just go out there and party like LAX never happened," Batista said, backing up the Game. "Let's figure this one out: if we just go out to the clubs right now, how do you know LAX isn't gonna be waiting there for us so they can jump us and probably take us all hostage? And besides, we have yet another big night tomorrow. I gotta defend my title against Kurt Angle, and Randy's facing Rey Mysterio about Rey's title shot, which I personally don't agree with, but that's besides the point."

"Plus, not only that, I think that maybe after everything that just happened, we might just have a big match tomorrow for my Women's Championship," Maria pointed out.

"She's right. As much as I hate to say this, Nature Boy. We're just gonna have to lay low tonight," Trips officially decided. Flair looked at all of them, then nodded with a resigned look on his face. As Maria and Batista walked out of the room, Trips put an arm around Ric's shoulder. The elder statesmen of Evolution then walked out after the others. Within minutes, the four were in their limousine, and they left the arena.

Meanwhile, at the end of the show, the #1 contender's match between Monty Brown, Jeff Jarrett, and Christian Cage was about to be decided.

Brown attempted to Pounce Christian, but Captain Charisma sidestepped it and it hit the referee behind him instead! However, Christian was unable to detect and avoid the Stroke from Jeff Jarrett. Seeing this, Brown worked with Jarrett as the two men stomped Christian like hell to the boos of the crowd. Monty then picked up Cage, allowing Jarrett to get his wooden guitar. He got himself set up in perfect position and laid out his adversary with the guitar. His adversary turned temporary partner Monty Brown, that is!

However, while Jarrett's weapon usage was valid, it would not bear fruit for anyone. Because he didn't even get enough time to catch his breath and go for a cover, before he was met by a Spear from Raw's Edge! The crowd was skyrocketed in shock because of this invasion from the Rated R Superstar! He stomped on Monty Brown several times with the intention of taking him out of the ring, but he didn't completely get it done before he wound up taken out, irishwhipped, and sent into a scrap buster sidewalk slam… to be exact, it was Abyss's Black Hole Slam! Abyss then took Christian Cage up and put him in the torture rack back breaker move Shock Treatment, after which he looked at Jarrett and Brown, trying to decide what to do with each of them. He then took up Jarrett and held him over Christian as if to plan on having the King of the Mountain cover Christian. But that was before he suddenly took up Jarrett, threw him over the ring to the outside, and placed Monty Brown on top of Christian instead! James Mitchell then slid into the ring and used the knocked out referee's hand to count the 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and the #1 contender for the NWA Heavyweight Championship, Monty Brown!"

The unconscious Alpha Male's music came on, and Mitchell tried to wake up Monty Brown by slapping him in the head several times. After about twenty seconds, he came to, and after that jumped on his feet in joy as Mitchell told him the news! We thought all the members of Evolution were gone, but apparently, we were mistaken, because Triple H wasn't gone! In fact, the WWE Heavyweight Champion now stood at one of the ramps, looking at the three standing tall and simply shaking his head at what was to be his comrade's competition! The minute the three saw this, they were standing stunned. Triple H turned back and walked off as Impact left the air on Spike TV.

_a/n: I just realized it because of the way I wrote the end of this chapter, but Triple H on Spike TV? Last time that happened in real wrestling, I think he was getting his ass handed to him by Batista prior to Hell in a Cell. Now, they're both part of Evolution again, in my fanfic of course._

_Just wanted to throw that tidbit out there. Oh, and the James Gang thing was kind of a thought based on the old DX days, and Mickie sharing the same last name as BG and Kip. (even though I know Kip's name is actually Monty Sopp and he is more commonly known as "Mr. Ass" Billy Gunn to those of us who are or were WWE fans) Anyway, remember to R&R and enjoy. A giant hit count without comments can't do much justice._

_-P. Dizzle_


	29. Five Straight Nights 4

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 29_**  
_Title: Five Straight Nights #4 / No Way Out of High Water_  
Show: WWE Smackdown Sunday PPV Event - No Way Out 2006 (2/18/2006)  
Summary: Maria defends Women's Title vs. two opponents, Randy Orton tries to kill Rey Mysterio's title shot, Batista defends World Title against Kurt Angle.

"Okay, so we do have this match, right?" John Cena asked Smackdown Commissioner Mick Foley inside Foley's office.

"Yes, you have the match, Cena," Mick said. "But don't you think for a second that LAX is going to be allowed to be at ringside. All parties outside this match will be barred from ringside under a threat of suspension or termination."

"Well, to be real, I wanted that to happen. Mickie can't control herself wit'out Trish or the James Gang, Maria doesn't know what to do wit'out Evolution out, and… Torrie wit'out me in the ring? Well, to be honest, she's just fine. I say right down the middle, she wins the match. I ain't worried about Torrie. I'm confident about Torrie," he boldly agreed.

"I'm glad you understand, but be confident about Torrie outside my office, thank you," Mick said, shooing Cena away. After a small "shut up", the Doctor of Thuganomics then walked on out of Foley's office, where he was met by his blonde girlfriend from Idaho.

"So, do we have the match?" Torrie asked.

"No. We got the match," Cena answered with a small smirk on his face. Torrie smiled right there, knowing that now was her chance. The two walked off with linked arms. But there's just… one really good question for Torrie and Cena, that I know they're not gonna answer for me: where in the living h-e-double-l was the Latin American Exchange? Can somebody help me out here? Well?…

…okay. I give up. Let's go to Evolution, who are already in their locker room.

"Guys, I-I-I hope, I seriously hope, that we can enjoy a night in peace at WrestleMania, because we are not having any peace in the months before the granddaddy of them all," Triple H said. The group looked at him incredulously, knowing that this was incredibly impossible, especially under the circumstances surrounding the making of Evolution.

"Alright. Let me be serious here. I've kind of had it with this crap with our titles having no choice but to be on the line," Randy said, before asking Maria if she was ready to wrestle tonight.

"I'm ready. But do you really think I'm going to be in a match tonight for my Women's Title? Because I haven't heard anything yet."

"Maria, Maria, Maria," Ric cut into the comment, inserting himself at the right time. "The naming of a match can happen at any time, even for a pay-per-view event. I've seen impromptu matches happen at the most inopportune times. We are not finished knowing what we've got." Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Let me guess: a worker come to tell me that Maria's facing John Cena's little playgirl Torrie to defend her Women's Title tonight, right?" Trips shot at the person at the door.

"Yes, but in fact, it's not just against Torrie Wilson," the worker replied from behind it. "It's a triple threat against Torrie Wilson and Mickie James." After that, they never heard from him tonight again.

"Torrie Wilson and Mickie James" Trips asked, still sounding shocked. It hadn't sunk in yet. "Torrie Wilson… and Mickie James?" he repeated, this time with a little darker tone to Mickie's name.

"DAMN THAT KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP!" he then yelled out, his face now seething with anger. Maria was kind of scared about it, though.

Matches one and two of No Way Out saw Gregory Helms survive eight other men to pick up a pinfall victory and retain his WWE Cruiserweight Championship, and JBL beat Bobby Lashley thanks to interference from Finlay. Meanwhile, TNA's Jeff Jarrett and America's Most Wanted came in from the crowd and went backstage, where they found Road Warrior Animal talking to Paul London and Brian Kendrick, and attacked them with a square shot with a guitar by Jarrett on Animal, and steel chair assaults by AMW on London and Kendrick!

The Women's Championship match was the third match on the No Way Out card. Torrie Wilson came out, holding her dog Chloe and walking out calmly but not slowly. A few people cheered her on, a reaction spurred by Torrie's falling out with Candice and Victoria, as well as the surprising turn of events with Torrie and John Cena getting together (a pairing popularly over used and for a while frustrating to me on Mickie James still had her same old music despite recently aligning herself with BG and Kip after they got her to loosen up a little bit about Trish Stratus. And she was still jumpy as ever, although her skirt, as well as her panties underneath, were now in army camouflage. Meanwhile, when Maria came out, she was obviously the most popular and the most lively of the girls, as proven with blowing kisses to the fans (across each side once in the ring, once at the stage).

As soon as the bell rang, Torrie walked over to Maria, getting in her face and shouting a few insults. Maria eventually got tired of them, so she knocked Torrie down with a right hand slap, then got on top of her and laid a few right hands. Mickie went up to the top rope, and when Maria got up, she hit her with a cross body for the cover. 1… 2… Maria got her shoulder up, surprising the many fans in the audience a small bit, since they thought the match was going to be over right there. Maria and Mickie both got up, and Mickie gave Maria a clothesline. Maria got back up, Mickie ran and ducked underneath her, then gave her a nice spin kick when she turned around, causing Maria to double over. Mickie then kicked her square in the face, and Maria fell. Mickie covered Maria. 1… 2… no works. Torrie Wilson broke it up.

Torrie then picked up Mickie and flung her across the ring by the hair. Torrie came to Mickie, set her up in the corner, and slapped her square in the face several times. Mickie tried to answer back with an angry punch or two, but Torrie walked away. However, that was Mickie's opportunity to get out, get behind Torrie, and execute a crucifix cover on her! The ref counted. 1… 2… that's when Maria pulled Torrie Wilson's legs down to squeeze her out of the cover. Maria then came over to Mickie, who tripped her up and flipped over her for a jackknife bridge cover, and again Maria kicked out after two, this time after about 2¾. When both Mickie and Maria got up, Mickie went for a clothesline. Maria ducked, then pushed Mickie front first into the turnbuckle, then got in a Japanese rolling clutch cover. 1… 2… Torrie was there to break it up.

Torrie then picked up Maria and irishwhipped her. Torrie tried to get in a clothesline, but Maria ducked it, then ran off the ropes again. She came back jumping high in the air as if to be going for a bulldog, but Torrie was facing her and inches in front of her. However, before she fell, Maria was able to catch Torrie's head and drag her down by it. It was a kind of inverted bulldog DDT! Maria quickly covered Torrie. 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and still WWE Women's Champion, Maria!"

Maria looked at herself and looked at the impressed cheering crowd in the audience, and it was almost like she couldn't believe she had just done that! She was smiling on all sides, and she could not resist rushing out and jumping into the crowd for a few hugs and pats for a job well done. John Cena came out to check on Torrie, but the LAX was still missing. However, a happy, hopping, skipping Live Bombshell was met backstage a few minutes later by a cheering and equally happy Evolution.

"Maria, that was one of the best moves I've ever seen a woman do in my thirty four years in this business, and that's sayin' somethin'," Ric Flair noted to begin the praise session as Maria hugged each of her teammates.

"Kid, I gotta tell you. Maybe I should have picked you right from the start instead of teasing the chance at Jackie," Trips pondered out loud.

"Again, it looks like the great Triple H made a good decision," Batista added.

"And I helped him," Randy immediately boasted. "But speaking of me, we better get back to the locker room and see about planning for my match. Oh, and Maria; get dressed in your other clothes again. After tonight's show is over, we're going to the nightclubs!"

"Wooo!" Flair burst happily.

The next match featured MNM's open non-title challenge, which was accepted by the James Gang, who surprisingly showed up to confront them earlier tonight. With Raw's Mickie keeping Melina's interference at bay, TNA's BG and Kip were able to pick up the victory when Kip pinned Joey Mercury after a Fame-ass-er. After that, Booker T tried to forfeit, but ended up tapping out; either way, Chris Benoit's the new United States Champion.

Afterwards, Chris Benoit celebrated his title win with Rey Mysterio. He was also greeted by Teddy Long, Matt Hardy, Tatanka, Bobby Lashley, Scotty Too Hotty, Paul London & Brian Kendrick, Pat Patterson, the Mexicools, and finally Chavo and Vickie Guerrero.

"Rey, you go out there, and you beat Orton tonight so you can face him at WrestleMania for the NWA World's Title, and you beat Orton tonight not just got yourself, or for me, or for Chavo and Vickie, but do it for Eddie Guerrero," Benoit said, trying to motivate Rey Mysterio to get the job done tonight.

"Para Eduardo Guerrero. Mi compadre. Mi amigo. Familia." he said. (if I got this wrong, or if not having the necessary accents is a problem, then I'm sorry, cause I don't know much Spanish at all). Both Vickie and Chavo hugged Rey for good luck.

Meanwhile, Evolution was in their locker room, and Batista was stretching himself, warming up, getting ready to go.

"You've got a match to win, Randy, for the sake of Evolution," Batista said. "A match that I don't agree with all that much, but you do need to win this for Evolution. Not just for Evolution, but for yourself as the Legend Killer, Legend Champion, and as the Man of Destiny."

"Got that right, Big Dave. And you know I'm gonna beat the Firecracker in the middle of that ring to prove it," Randy replied confidently, as he exited the room with a smile.

"He better get the job done," Trips said.

"If he doesn't, it's on him," Ric added.

We saw a shot of Rey Mysterio's daughter at ringside along with Vickie and Chavo Guerrero, family of the late Eddie, as Rey Mysterio's music came up. He did his usual entrance, from the burst up from the side of the stage, to doing the Latino Heat shimmy after his own taunt at each turnbuckle post. The crowd was behind him, cheering and chanting Eddie's name the whole time. Meanwhile, Randy Orton came out to his own entrance music theme and did his own entrance, with the NWA Heavyweight Title around his waist and the jeers of the crowd all around him. After posing at the turnbuckle, he took his NWA Title, raised it up high for the fans to relish in and/or hate even more, then gave it to the ref to place it outside the ring as the music stopped.

When the bell rang, a loud "EDDIE!" chant started up. After a few seconds, the two finally locked up, and Randy pushed Rey into the corner. The referee broke it with his count, Orton backed up and both circled the ring. Orton got in a takedown on Mysterio, but Rey moved and got the ropes with his feet. In an egotistical move, Orton then slapped Mysterio, an offense which Rey replied to with a huge kick to the gut followed by a headlock takedown. Mysterio then took out Orton with a face first bulldog. He covered, but only got a two count. When Randy got up in the corner, Mysterio kicked him, then jumped up above him to get in some hard rights. Randy moved forward, and Rey springboarded off the ropes attempting a cross body, but Orton dropped to dodge it. Getting back up, the Legend Killer smiled, before approaching Mysterio and kicking him on the ground a few times. Orton posed to the crowd, then choked out Mysterio in the corner with his boot. Orton then kicked Rey, followed by some forearms to the back. Rey fell flat on his back. Randy did his high leaping knee drop straight to Mysterio's head. A "RANDY SUCKS" chant started up.

Orton picked up Mysterio in the corner and toyed with him a bit, slapping him upside his head, after which he sent him with force into the opposite corner, making him bounce off harshly. Orton covered Mysterio, 1… 2… kickout by Rey. Orton then did his pose yet again, only to receive jeers for it. Orton gave Mysterio a hard uppercut, but the Human Highlight Reel bounced back with a huge kick to the face on him! Orton got back up, right into a big tilt-a-whirl hurracanrana. When Orton got up on the outside, Mysterio got on the ring apron, jumped, but got caught. He then tried to fall down, but Orton held on and drove the hanging down Mysterio right into the ring post. Orton went into the ring and posed again; the fans booed back loudly. Orton went to the outside, rolled Mysterio back inside, then covered him. 1… 2… Rey kicked out. Randy then applied an arm bar to that bad left arm of Mysterio's, but Rey fought out of it, then took out Orton with a kick to the face. Orton came back with a kick to the gut, put Mysterio on his shoulder and dropped the smaller man down hard right over his shoulder. Orton hooked Rey's leg, but again got only two. This event repeated itself again, and a frustrated Randy complained to the official.

But then, he went right back to work on Mysterio's left arm. Rey fought his way back to his feet, kicking Orton a few times. Randy continued to work on that left arm, but Mysterio snapped up with a big hurracanrana! Orton then stomped on that bad left arm when he got back up, making Rey roll out in pain. Orton then put Mysterio's bad arm on the steel steps and stomped on it, raised it, and slammed it back down off the steel steps as well. (boo!) Orton threw Mysterio back in the ring, covered, but Mysterio kicked out yet again. Orton then wrapped the left arm of Mysterio over the middle rope and wrenched on it a bit. Orton then picked Rey up and put him on his shoulders again, only to get sent through the ropes to the outside by a major arm drag! When Randy got back in, Mysterio cut him off with a big flying forearm, followed by a drop toe hold into the second turnbuckle. Mysterio then climbed up to the top rope, after which Randy got to his feet and cut him off with a few forearms. Orton put Mysterio on his shoulders and started scaling up to the second rope. But Rey countered out of it and connected with a sunset flip powerbomb on the Legend Champion! Mysterio covered. 1… 2… Orton kicked out!

Mysterio then took out Orton with a big dropkick. Rey then picked him up, hit a forearm to the head, and hit a baseball slide to the knee. He went up top and hit a senton drop right on top of Randy off the top rope. Mysterio nailed Orton again, covers, but Orton kicked out after two. Orton's forehead was now busted open at this point. Mysterio then kicked Orton, springboarded off the ropes, Orton caught him, Mysterio countered and planted Orton in the middle of the ring. Mysterio covered again, and yet again, it only resulted in two. Orton then gave Mysterio a thumb to the eye. Mysterio came back with kicks to the ribs and face on Orton. Rey went up to the top rope and jumped, but Randy intercepted him in mid-air with a huge dropkick! The Man of Mystery from San Diego now grabbed his chest in pain, and as he was abut to get up, Orton stalked him. A bloody Randy smiled as Rey got to his feet. Orton went to jump for the RKO, but took a dropkick to the face instead. He fell on the second rope. Rey went for the 619. Randy ducked and then rolled up Mysterio for a quick pinfall using the ropes, but it didn't work, as Rey was still able to kick out! Then, when Orton got out of the ropes, it apparently looked like his knee got twisted or something, as he was favoring his own right leg. Naturally, international concern set in from the people of the crowd, as well as Rey Mysterio and the referee. Rey finally got soft on the Man of Destiny and helped Randy Orton get up. But then, the Legend Killer revealed that it was all a set-up, in the form of a highly unfavored RKO out of nowhere to Rey Mysterio! Orton then quickly covered Rey… 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, the NWA Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton!"

After this great victory of a match, Randy Orton slid out of the ring and smiled. Michael Cole & Tazz said that they couldn't believe what just happened, noting that Randy Orton just kept Rey Mysterio from main eventing at WrestleMania. Randy Orton then took a mic that was left on the ground by someone.

"Hey, Rey. I got a good question, man. Where are you going?" he asked a downed Mysterio, much to the people's displeasure. "Because I know where you're not going. You're not going… to face me for my NWA Heavyweight Championship in the main event at WrestleMania!"

Once the jeers came around, Randy finally dropped the mic. His music hit as he taunted at Mysterio. The announcers were shocked. The people were appalled. Rey Mysterio was just getting up and realizing in his head that he let Eddie Guerrero down. As Randy did his legend pose at the stage and Rey began pacing, Orton suddenly found himself attacked from behind by none other then Chavo Guerrero!

Chavo had hit Randy with a huge running forearm, causing Orton to roll over several feet before finally getting up, after which Chavo then came at him with punches and uppercuts, holding him up against the guard railing at ringside. Chavo then took Orton in order to ram him into the steel steps, but before he could get that task complete, the nephew of the late great Eddie found himself floundered in a great dismay called "Triple H's Steel Chair Shot"! Trips then hit Chavo in the back with the chair three times, after which Rey Mysterio decided that he'd had enough. He dove from up high with a cork screw dive, but Trips simply swung and hit his head with the chair, stopping and dropping the Human Highlight Reel flat on his back! Trips then got Randy Orton and lifted his arm up in the air to call him the victor as Evolution's music came up, the crowd going from jeers to cheers and right back to boos just like that! After a couple of minutes, Batista was warming up, Ric Flair and Maria watched him ready himself to go and defend his title against Kurt Angle.

"I've wrestled Kurt before, and I gotta tell you, he ain't a little cookie to handle," Ric said to him. "Now, you're sure you don't need our help on this?"

"No, man. Why ruin a great match?" Batista asked in objection to the request.

"Why ruin a great match? To keep Evolution rolling and ruling! That's why ruin a great match!" Flair countered.

"Hey, Randy. Great job out there, man! You truly are the Legend Killer!" Triple H was saying from outside the door. Trips opened the door, and the group found him with his arm around the head of the tired Orton as if in a bit of a headlock. Trips then jerked Orton's head to face him so that he could say something to Mr. RKO.

"Okay, Randy. You earned it with this great show out there. Get some rest, and after Big Dave's match, we're goin' back to party."

"Right," Randy replied, sounding and looking a little bit groggy as he sat down and rested himself a bit.

"Now, Big Dave. You need to win this match against Kurt Angle. This is for your World Heavyweight Championship. That's the most prestigious title in this industry. You should know all about it, because from the moment you broke on your own, you've basically never not had this baby," Triple H said. "You kicked my ass for it last year at WrestleMania, and you've been kickin' ass ever since. You know all about the money, the fame, the honor, the power, the recognition, the tradition, and the respect that comes with being a world champion, as do the rest of us. And you know that's what we're all about here in Evolution. The mark of championship. It is the driving force in our contract, as well as in everybody's desires in this business, us included. Now, go out there and be the Animal. Let destiny take care of the rest, and you will remain the champion. Why? Because you're Big Dave, the Animal, Batista! And this, my friend, this is Evolution."

"You're damn right about that, Trips. You're damn right about that! I'm gonna go out there and prove to the world that I am the best World Heavyweight Champion ever," Batista readily declared, giving Triple H and the rest of the team the thumbs up before walking out the door and heading towards the arena.

"Now, you're sure he's keeping the title against Kurt Angle?" Maria asked, sounding a little worried than she probably should be.

"He may have Angle Slammed you one time, but he can't beat Batista. Those are two completely different stories, kid. The Animal will remain," Trips answered.

"It's not about Kurt Angle. It's about Torrie and John Cena and LAX," Maria clarified. The Latin American Exchange was never seen on the show as of yet. It was beginning to fall on her mind that maybe this is what they were waiting for.

Batista's music came on, and out came the World Heavyweight Champion, showing clearly through the whole entrance that he is energized as ever, and perfectly ready to compete in this match. His entrance was the same as usual, except for the insert of the chest thumps and finger pointing to the sky to Eddie Guerrero. When Kurt Angle's music came on, he came out to the audience's adulation as well, and he even redirected the "YOU SUCK!" chants towards Batista.

The bell rang, and Batista made a slight forward charge, but Kurt Angle moved and got behind Batista and grappled him. Batista went for a turnaround elbow to escape. Kurt let go and ducked his head out of the way, then rolled out quickly to dodge anything more. Angle got back in, both locked up, and Batista overpowered Angle, having him in the corner. The referee eventually went for his five count, and Batista made a clean break after three. Kurt ran off the ropes to try to hit Batista, but the Animal took out Angle with a shoulder block. He irishwhipped Angle, then hit him with a big back body drop. Batista then lifted Angle high in the air in a military press, but Kurt was able to wiggle out and land on his feet. Kurt then went for a quick clothesline, but Batista ducked it and got behind Angle for a good back suplex. Batista covered Angle, who kicked out after two. After Batista picked Angle up, the Olympic Champion got in some hard rights on him, but Batista hit a hard right of his own in Kurt Angle's left arm, causing Kurt to wince in pain and favor it just a small bit. Batista irishwhipped Angle, giving him no time to recover, then went down in position for the Leviathan Spinebuster, but Angle stopped himself from going off the ropes, so it didn't work. Kurt then got in some rights, but Batista shoved him away. Kurt immediately got back up and ran after Big Dave, but right into a power slam! Batista covered Angle, only getting a two count. When the two men got up, Batista tried to throw Kurt out of the ring, but Angle quickly skinned the cat, got back in the ring, then hit the Animal from behind with a big german suplex. Angle covered Batista, only getting two.

Angle then kicked Batista in the corner a few times, then hit a few shoulder charges as well. Angle came off, walked around the ring, and ended up getting tossed into the corner. and Batista hit a huge clothesline on Angle. He sent him to the other corner and tried another clothesline, but Angle moved, then tipped up Batista's legs to send him over the top and out of the ring. Batista got back up, went on the apron, and was dropkicked back down into the ring barricade with force! Angle then went outside and nailed Batista face first off the steel steps. He went up to the ring apron and jumped at Batista, only to get caught and driven spine first into the apron! Batista put Angle back in the ring, and Angle stood up, leaning forward against the ropes with his back turned to the ring. Batista came back in, took Angle, pulled him back, and hit a huge forearm shot to the back of the neck, knocking Angle down. Batista covered him. 1… 2… he kicked out. Batista waited for Kurt Angle to get back up, then irishwhipped him, but he telegraphed his move and got kicked in the head for it. Angle ran off the ropes, only to get caught in a sidewalk slam. Batista picked up Angle, went off the ropes himself, but Angle tripped him up. Angle started to kick Batista, then applied pressure on the knee he tripped him up with. Angle then went to the outside, grabbed the trunk like leg of the Animal and drove it across the ring post twice, after which he wrapped both legs around the post, applying a variated Figure Four!

Angle came back in the ring to break the count by the referee. Batista was now out as well. Angle chased him down. When Batista put a knee up to get in, Angle dropped his elbow across that knee several times. Eventually, both were back in the ring. Angle worked on Batista in the corner with some kicks, driving Batista down to the mat. When Batista got back up, Angle hit him with some stiff rights. Angle put Batista's leg across the bottom rope and jumped down applying weight on it twice. He tried a third time, but Batista blocked it, so Kurt kicked him some more. Finally, Batista grabbed Angle and tossed him through the ropes to the outside. Batista droves a forearm into the face of Angle a few times on the outside, then put him back in the ring and went in himself. Back inside, Batista pushed his forearm onto Kurt's forehead for a few seconds, after which he went up to the middle turnbuckle. But before he could do anything, Angle suddenly got up, hit a dragon screw on Batista, grabbed by the ankle and applied the Ankle Lock! As Angle had it locked in, Batista tried to reach the ropes. He almost did so after five seconds, but Kurt pulled him back to the center of the ring. Batista had his right arm up as if he were about to tap out and lose the title, but instead, he constantly pushed himself forward to reach the ropes. Soon, he finally got there, and Kurt let go before the ref could begin to do the DQ count, not wanting to hear it. Angle then applied a leglock into the injured leg of Batista a few times. Batista tried to break this, but each time he fell back he went down in a pinfall. He got a shoulder up after two each time. Angle then pulled Batista to the middle and hit an elbow drop to the Animal's bad knee.

Batista finally managed to kick away from the leg lock, as Angle tried to reapply it. However, the minute he finally got back up on his feet, Angle tackled him and hit some stiff rights. Batista countered by hitting a couple of forearms on the Golden Eagle's back. Angle stopped and rolled to the outside. Batista followed. Batista threw Angle into the ring barricade, and then into the timekeeper/announcer's table area. Batista nailed Angle face first off the ring apron. Batista nails Angle with a right hand to the face, knocking him down. The Leviathan then removes the top off of the announcer's table. Batista rolled back in the ring to break the count. He came back out charging. Angle ducked, then connected with an Olympic Slam on Batista right through the Spanish Announce Table, smashing it to pieces! Angle rolled back in the ring and the referee started counting Batista out as the World Champion was still trying to recover. When the ref got to 9, Kurt told him not to count Batista out, saying he wanted to beat Batista in the ring to become the Champion. He then came out and gave Batista a few uppercuts as he saw the Animal rise to his feet. Angle nailed Batista off the ring apron, hit a few kicks and forearms. Batista counters Angle's irishwhip and sent him right into the steel steps! When this happened, his jaw bounced off the top part of the announce table, which was previously ripped off. Batista grabbed Angle and tossed him back in the ring. Batista then went up to the top turnbuckle. Angle then jumped up and cut Batista off on the top rope.

Up top with Batista, Angle hooked his arm. But Batista countered with punches to the gut, knocking Angle off the top. Right as Batista regained his composure, Angle leapt up again, then took down Batista, not in a superplex, but in a Super Angle Slam off the top! Angle covered quickly. 1… 2… Unbelievable! Batista kicked out! Angle looked shocked, the fans screamed out, and nobody can believe it. Both got to their feet and exchanged right hands. Batista takes out Angle with a big clothesline. Batista covered Angle, who kicked out after two. Batista then irishwhipped Angle, lifted him for the Leviathan Spinebuster, but Angle countered into a roll through into the Ankle Lock! After about sixteen seconds, Batista turned over, but Angle turned with him and continued to lock it on. Batista then kicked his way out of the Ankle Lock, but Kurt didn't relent. He took Batista by the ankle, dragged him into the center, and got the Ankle Lock once again! Batista rolled through it once again, but Kurt didn't turn with him, so he was able to kick him off. Batista then picked up Kurt Angle and executed directly the Leviathan Spinebuster. Batista covered Angle. 1… 2… and Angle got a shoulder up, and Batista can't believe it!

Batista then stood up, doing thumbs up thumbs down, and stalking Angle as he got to his feet. Batista kicked Angle, set him up for the Batista Bomb, lifted him up, but Angle rolled through and applies the Ankle Lock yet again! Now, Kurt's got it locked in on Batista in the middle of the ring. Batista reached out, almost got to the bottom rope, but Angle pulled him back to the middle. Batista then powered out of the Ankle Lock, but Angle returned with the Olympic Slam. Angle hooked Batista's leg. 1… 2… and again, the match is not over. Batista kicked out! Angle was now frustrated, as he put his straps down. Batista got up before Angle could do anything, though, and got him in a vertical suplex. Angle landed on his feet, then tried to suplex Batista, but ended up pushed down. Batista took a few steps closer, but Angle suddenly got up behind him, tripped him up, and applied the Ankle Lock! Angle fell to the mat and put more pressure on Batista in the Ankle Lock. However, Batista fought off the urge to tap out. Batista rolled to his back, sat up and kicked Angle in the face to force him to let go. Angle tried to nail another Olympic Slam on Batista, but the Animal countered, irishwhipped Batista, and hit him with the Leviathan Spinebuster! He then finally did the Ultimate Warrior rope taunt, then the thumbs up thumbs down signal, after which he took Angle up, set him underneath, and finally executed the sit-down Batista Bomb! Batista got Kurt's body out from underneath the ropes to the center of the ring, then covered him. 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and still the World Heavyweight Champion, Batista!"

And at that sound, not only were the fans cheering their asses off, but pretty much all the members of Evolution came out, walking to the ring with huge smiles on their faces! What a great match they just got to see, and on top of everything, Dave Batista retained his World Heavyweight Title, meaning that this night went off without a hitch for Evolution! Batista enjoyed celebrative embraces with all four of his teammates, then went up on all four turnbuckles with his muscular pose, title in hand, and pointing a finger up high, to Eddie Guerrero. Even Randy Orton looked at that with reverence and respect, pretty much showing he's not all the jackass he's been clamed up to be. But did I say without a hitch? I was dead wrong. The Undertaker's Dark Bell suddenly rang, interrupting the entire celebration before they could even do the "all titles up high" pose. The lights suddenly went out, then went blue once Undertaker's music came on. Except, it wasn't the Undertaker music that we're used to now. It was the music he had during the Ministry of Darkness!

"Evolution, you have enjoyed a good reign in supremacy of TNA and WWE," said a certain familiar voice, as the music blared around the arena with it. "However, just like all good things, which must come to an end, at WrestleMania 22, all of you, too, will rest… in… peace!"

The music kept going, and the fans were screaming in excitement about what just went down. Meanwhile, Evolution was speechless. The Undertaker? WrestleMania? Rest in peace? What the hell is he talking about? Maria did not know any extra details, but she understood the graveness of the situation perfectly. Somehow, someway, they got on the Undertaker's bad side. Fact is, she didn't know if she could handle it. She fell down on the ground flat on her back, then just laid down. And she was breathing heavily, too. More of this, and she could get a heart attack. Ric looked back and down, and he noticed Maria's symptoms of fear. He quickly tapped Batista's shoulder and pointed to her. Batista was now horrified and worried over Maria's safety.

"Guys, she needs help!" Batista shot in a panic. Orton and Triple H turned around hastily, seeing the same thing.

"God, no!" Randy screamed out as he came down to Maria. He tried to convince her to calm down, but it wasn't working; her heart was stimulated beyond words right now, and not in a good way. With worry filling up his eyes and those of his teammates, Randy picked up Maria. Right there, Ric Flair called for paramedics to arrive immediately. Soon, the medics did come in, and they got Maria an oxygen mask and got her onto a stretcher, which was rolled into an ambulance. The group looked on, terribly worried about her. As the show went off the air, Randy looked up high where he heard the Ministry music still ongoing with a pissed off "I'm gonna kick your ass!" look on his face, obviously sentenced towards the Undertaker.

_a/n: I know, I know. I probably should have brought Undertaker in sooner, like at the Royal Rumble when he actually did come back. But understand that if I had, the Evolution takeover couldn't be a success. So, I decided to make up for it with a serious scare scene. Remember to offer feedback and continue to enjoy this feed._

_-P. Dizzle_


	30. Five Straight Nights 5

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 30_**  
_Title: Five Straight Nights #5 / Conditional_   
Show: WWE Monday Night Raw (2/19/2006)  
Summary: Maria's condition after the Undertaker's scare revealed; Edge vs. Triple H for the WWE Heavyweight Championship.

A couple of hours before the show, Evolution arrived in style as usual, but this time, there were two missing pieces to the puzzle: Evolution's good mood, and Maria. Randy Orton was brooding about this issue most of all, and that comes after having considered the Undertaker an afterthought following the rule of Evolution being established on this business. The facts still remain, however, that Undertaker did kick the can out of Randy Orton inside Hell in a Cell at Armageddon, and that Randy, along with fellow Evolutioners Triple H and Ric Flair, has been a WrestleMania victim of the Dead Man. Even Batista, who is usually upbeat, and who has never faced the Undertaker in his life, had a somber look on his face because of what happened last night. The team had left Maria at the hospital nearest the First Mariner Arena in Baltimore, considering her health and safety the most important thing. The group didn't share a whole lot of words today; they were saving it for when they came out on Raw.

The group did come out to begin the show when their music came up first, and their steps were faster than normal; the song never even got to the chorus. Anger also showed from Evolution's faces.

"Okay, people. Shut up and pay attention to what I've got to say!" Triple H screamed out on his microphone, prompting the people to boo. "I've been in this business for a long time. I am Triple H. I am the Game. And I am part of the greatest unit ever created in Evolution. But despite the fact that we are the unstoppable team of this industry, a certain someone decided to make a considerable impact against us, an impact made against us even greater than anyone else in this business. (yeah!) (fans start "TAKER!" chant) That's right! It's the very guy you're clapping and cheering for. The Dead Man himself, the Undertaker! (yeah!) And quite frankly, this whole Taker thing makes me sick to my stomach! Batista just came off a victory in one of the greatest matches I've ever seen, and we're all ready to celebrate, when the Undertaker suddenly promises to basically kill us all, and Maria is scared half to death, and she can't be with us in the building tonight!"

Randy Orton then took the microphone, having something to say about it himself.

"Hey, Undertaker! Are you so dissatisfied with kicking my ass at Hell in a Cell, beating me once at WrestleMania, and scaring me to hell prior to the Hell in a Cell after I tried to destroy you with Eddie's low rider (boo!) that now you've gotta get in my way when I'm in Evolution? What the hell is wrong with you? I know you're Big Evil, but one thing you don't do is put our first lady's life on the line!" he shouted angrily. "Taker! Get yourself out here right now! (yeah!) Come on, Taker! Show yourself, instead of playing these damn mind games over and over again like a complete coward!"

Suddenly, Edge's music came up, and out came the Rated R Superstar in street clothes. And he didn't have his girlfriend or anyone else with him this time.

"Hey, Orton. Triple H. I hope you guys aren't so focused on brooding over the Undertaker's interference that you completely forgot about your match against me tonight," Edge said on his microphone.

"Get to the point or save it for someone that cares. What match?" Randy asked.

"I earned a title shot this past Thursday night on the special edition last week to face one of you Evolution puke stains for one of the Heavyweight Titles, and I made it clear I wanted the WWE Title. I went to General Manager Shane McMahon to book the title match for the WWE Championship tonight!" Edge announced in reply. "So, Trips, prepare to be relieved of the premiere championship of WWE, and to be stuck on Raw, because it's Triple H vs. Edge tonight, and the Rated R Superstar goes back on his star and becomes once again the WWE Heavyweight Champion!"

As the fans cheered, Edge grinned, and Triple H got ready to make a comeback.

"After what the Undertaker has done to Maria, we are the last persons you want to face in a match or tick off, because you know what we do when we're angry," Trips reminded the Rated R Superstar, taking the smile off his face. Edge ran a hand through his blond hair and a look of concern and possibly fear came over him. "You think you signed your chance at the WWE Title, but in reality, you just signed your death warrant in this business. (small cheers) You're about to become an emphatic tag line on the long list of losers that I have beaten. (yeah!) It's game over for you, because I am the Game, and I'm that damn good!" (yeah!)

That declaration led to Triple H's music coming on, and Edge looked on with that concerned gaze as Trips looked at him like he was the piece of prey that was about to be added to the "long list of losers that I have beaten". The other members of Evolution looked on, standing behind the Game.

Later on, Edge was in his locker room, in the middle of a phone call to someone.

"So, you make the run-in and get back at Triple H, I win the WWE Championship, I give you a shot at the title. We got a deal?" he asked. After awhile, he continued. "Good. I'm glad we could see eye-to-eye on things. I'll meet you after the show." Lita and the Edge Army were there to witness the move as well.

"So, how did it go?" Matt Hardy asked the Rated R Superstar.

"It went perfect, Matt; he's coming. Isn't he?" Lita replied, then asked Edge herself.

"Yup. He's on his way right now," Edge answered the question. "You got that right. Shannon, Gregory, prepare to celebrate. This is the Edge Army's crowning hour; the night that Edge becomes WWE Champion!"

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door.

"Who's this?" Edge asked, turning to the door.

"It's me. John Cena," the person behind the door answered. The fans cheered and booed as if frenzied back in the arena.

"What the hell do you want?" Edge then demanded.

"Open up, get everybody out, and I'll tell you what I want," Cena answered strongly. Shannon Moore then opened the door, leading Lita, Gregory Helms, and Matt Hardy out the door as Cena (and only Cena) walked into the room, closed the door again behind him, and faced up to Edge.

"Alright. What did you come here for?" Edge asked in a cold tone.

"It's simple. You ain't gettin' the most out of Lita as far as interference, and I've figured out why," he said.

"Why?"

"Because you ain't usin' her right. She needs to stop sluttin' herself out and start actually doin' somethin' again. The Queen of Extreme has been silent for too damn long. You need to let her bring it back, or else eventually, the ho thing's not gon' work, and she's probably even gon'…"

And there, we got cut. But come main event time…

"You think you know me."

This entrance note did as it always does, jump-starting the song "Metalingus", the theme song of Edge, made by his good friends in the Alterbridge rock band. The Rated R Superstar came out to the usual small cheering reception, and he and Lita were pompous and intimate as ever in their entrance, no different than it's been of late. Nor was the entrance of Triple H any different than it usually is when he's by himself, as he used his own music, and looked like he was in a completely bad mood and ready to fight and destroy someone. Out of the traditional respect, Trips was cheered much further than his challenger.

The bell rang to begin this WWE Heavyweight Championship match, which was actually a rematch of the World Title confrontation in Japan between the two men. Trips and Edge locked up, then broke the grapple a few seconds later when neither man could gain any kind of advantage. After that, they went into another grapple, but Edge tripped up Trips with a drop toe hold. Edge grinned, and a flustered Game got up immediately. Edge suddenly slapped Trips, (ohhh!) who after awhile hit a sudden turnaround clothesline, knocking Edge clean down. Trips then mounted atop Edge and landed a furious array of right hands on the Rated R Superstar. Trips got up, walked out of the ring, and brought Edge closer to the steel post, then rammed one of his legs straight into it, sending Edge crying hard in pain. Trips got back in the ring before the ten count could work, then pulled Edge to the center of the ring. He got down, sat on Edge's upper right leg, then punched away at the lower right leg several times. After getting back on his feet, Trips hit Edge with a slightly stalled vertical suplex. Trips covered. 1… 2… Edge kicked out.

Trips picked up Edge, who managed to fight back with a few right hands to finally get out of the predicament. The Rated R Superstar finally went off the ropes, only to receive a back elbow to the head from Triple H, putting him right back down. Edge, though, played a smart card by rolling out of the ring to buy some time. But the King of Kings went right out after him, turned him around and gave him a hard right hand, then sent him straight into the steel steps! Edge winced in pain, and Trips momentarily went in the ring to break the ring out count. Trips came down after Edge, then rammed him straight into the security rail, then rammed him again except on the apron. After that move, Trips lifted Edge vertically and laid him hard, waist first, into the rail. Edge finally came down favoring his waist, but the ever-merciless Triple H came into the ring to break the count again, after which he threw the Artist of Awesomeness back into the ring, then went in himself. Twice, Trips held up the leg, then crushed it back down with a falling elbow. He covered Edge again, but the first ever Mr. Money in the Bank kicked out after two. Trips got back on Edge's case, picking him up and sending him hard into the corner, causing Edge to bounce off hard and fall on his back. After that, Triple H decided to choke Edge a little bit, resulting in the referee's disqualification count being what forced the Game to finally let go.

As Triple H continued to argue with the referee, Edge rolled to the outside but was too fatigued and pain plagued to get on his feet, so he fell on the concrete floor. Lita came over to him and crouched, checking up on him. Finally, Trips stopped with the argument and came over to where Lita and Edge were. He ordered Lita to get away from her boyfriend, but the Queen of Extreme replied by standing up and saying no with such boldness you'd never think Edge could have convinced her to change herself for him. This was the old Queen of Extreme coming out, and you know the people were loving it! Trips held a fist up to Lita's face, threatening to hit her with it if she didn't move away. Yet, the fact still remains, she didn't move away! So, Trips, who was getting tired of this, shoved Lita down by her face, inspiring a plethora of boos as he finally picked up Edge and sent him into the ring. Trips went in and again went for a cover. 1… 2… and the Rated R Superstar is not done yet! He kicked out. Trips then picked up Edge and irishwhipped him, but when he came off the ropes, Edge made the personal decision to stop himself and dropkick Triple H, buying himself some time!

Edge and Triple H were both down, but of course, the Cerebral Assassin got up first. He picked up Edge, irishwhipped him, but the Rated R Superstar took the opportunity to give Triple H the Spear! However, due to the loss of energy that came with the severe pitfalling beatdown at the hands of Trips prior to this sudden momentum surge, Edge could not bring himself to cover. It took thirty seconds, Trips getting back up, and pulling the ropes for the Toronto blonde to raise himself to his feet. Finally, the two men engaged in a right hand exchange. After Edge got three straight right hands in, Trips tried to get one in, but Edge tripped him up with a drop toe hold, and with a half-tired, half-cocky expression on his face, stalked away at the Game. Trips got up, Edge gave him a backdrop suplex. The Rated R Superstar now had a huge grin on his face, beginning to feel it a little bit. He covered Trips, who kicked out after two.

Edge complained to the referee, then went back to the attack, methodically stomping Triple H in the midsection several times before finally picking him up by the head. Trips broke free, then swung for a right hand. Edge ducked it, got behind him, and hit the Edge-O-Matic drop. Edge was able to hook one leg for the cover. 1… 2… Trips still kicked out. Edge looked at the ref and complained again, then choked Trips on the middle rope. The ref began his DQ count, and Edge let go after three. He came on top of Triple H, then went on a furious trip of mounted right hands. The referee forced him to let go by using the DQ count, and this time, the irritable Awesome Adam decided to wait until the four, then completely get in the referee's face. He then went to the turnbuckle opposite that of Triple H, then entered that stalking position, as his steel gray eyes were focused on the prey that was the soon-to-be former WWE Heavyweight Champion, or so he thought. Once Trips was up and turned enough, Edge ran charging at him, but the Cerebral Assassin sidestepped the Spear, causing Edge to hit the turnbuckle post shoulder first instead! Trips pulled Edge out of his predicament, then kicked him down in the corner a few times. He picked up Edge and knocked him down with a right hand. Edge got up, Trips clotheslined him. Edge got up again, Trips irishwhipped him, and Edge again recollected himself in mid-move by dropkicking Triple H, who had telegraphed a spinebuster and taken the kick right to his face!

So now, Triple H was in a seriously bad predicament. Edge was gaining momentum, and had just kicked him hard in the face. Edge quickly picked him up, irishwhipped him, and gave him a big back body drop. Trips got up quickly, receiving a clothesline for his efforts. The momentum surge was starting to feel good for the fans, but Trips put an end to it by kicking Edge in the midsection and hitting a jaw breaker with his knee. The falling Edge's head ended up tripping the referee. Trips had an evil smirk on his face as he went to the outside, checked under the ring for something, then brought out a sledgehammer. He banged it on the steel steps once before coming into the ring with it. Edge got up and was in perfect position for the beatdown when the jeering crowd suddenly erupted in cheers as Matt Hardy made his run-in, coming into the ring and hitting Triple H hard, square in the face with a thundering right hand! Lita smiled at this, as her ex-boyfriend helped out her current lover further by clotheslining Triple H outside the ring, then flying over the ropes in a cross body takedown of him! Matt got up, doing the V1 sign and getting a great mixed reaction, mostly consistent of cheers. He then picked up Triple H, placed him straight into the ring, slid in himself, and went up on the second turnbuckle. He did the yodel which normally leads to the Downfall leg drop, but it could not work right, because someone pulled his leg right when he jumped so that he tripped and fell on his face. That someone… was Ric Flair!

Batista ran out to ringside, went around the ring to the other side, and pulled Matt Hardy out of the ring. He set Hardy underneath and powerbombed him through the announcers' table! Randy Orton, who just came out of the crowd at that exact time, stalked away at the Rated R Superstar. As soon as Edge turned around in Randy's direction, a certain slithering Legend Killer leapt up and gave him the RKO!

Gregory Helms and Shannon Moore then came out to the ring to try to do something about this. The two 3 Count partners double teamed on Orton in the corner, punching and kicking away at him. After awhile, Batista finally interrupted Gregory and Shannon, knocking both men's heads together. He picked up Helms, irishwhipped him, and hit him with the Leviathan Spinebuster. The Prince of Punk hit the Animal from behind, but it really had no effect, except for letting Batista know he was there. Flair got into the ring and kept Shannon from running away. Batista kicked him in the midsection, set him underneath, and hit him with the Batista Bomb. Lita then came into the ring and dropkicked Batista's chest, staggering him enough for him to need to leave the ring! The revived Queen of Extreme then went up to repeat Matt Hardy's earlier action on Triple H, but it did not quite work, as Batista caught her in mid-air, then placed her in the ring. He signaled for the Naitch to come into the ring, and he did so, stomping Lita's leg a few times, after which momentarily locked in a Figure Four leg lock on her!

Having done away with the Edge Army, Awesome Adam included, the Evolution members all left the ring, went over the security rail, and left through the stands, whose people did not receive them exactly like heroes. The Edge Army members in the ring all rolled out and laid there on the outside.

Christian Cage was then seen at the top of the ramp, looking at the whole seen. The fans cheered like hell when they saw him. He looked to his Peeps in the arena, who then went into a chant of "GO HELP EDGE! GO HELP EDGE!" And for what reason? Triple H was getting up on his feet, while Edge was laying there motionless from that RKO. Christian then asked the people if they really wanted to see him help out his old friend, and they surprinslgly continued to cheer their heads off. Cage broke out with a smile before running down and sliding into the ring, then quickly trapping Triple H's arms from behind and twisting him into the Unprettier! Christian rolled out of the ring and did his usual chest thump and point to the fired up Peeps, yelling out the words "I'm Captain Charisma, and that's how I roll!" as he left the area.

Following this was when the ref finally got on his feet, and Edge was able to crawl towards a cover. The announcers were expecting the insanity that just went down to produce us a new WWE Heavyweight Champion. The ref counted. 1… 2… Triple H put a shoulder up! This isn't over! After the referee's stand-up count reached eight, both Edge and Triple H began to get on their feet. Trips kicked out the sledgehammer, which had been in the ring this whole time, blocked Edge's right hand, and got a right hand of his own in. As Edge struggled to get up, Trips did the old Degeneration X crotch chop pose, arousing many cheers within the crowd. He picked up Edge and set him up for the Pedigree, but got a big back body drop for his efforts, as Edge made the reversal! As soon as the Game got up, he ended up feeling perfect Edgecution! Edge then stalked away at Triple H in order to go for a Spear. When Trips got up, Edge was about to go for a Spear when a flame burst at the stage, leading to a fanatic eruption. When the flame finally died out a few seconds later, the Cerebral Assassin kicked Edge in the midsection and finally hit the Pedigree on his enemy. Trips covered Edge. 1… 2… 3!

"Here is your winner, and still your WWE Heavyweight Champion, Triple H!"

The music of the Game came on, but he was in no physical strength to celebrate. Batista came out, though, and helped Trips up, after which he raised his hand to tell the world that Trips just kept his title. The championship was handed to the Sledgehammer Villain, who finally mustered up the strength to do his "I am the Game!" pose in the middle of the ring. Batista and Triple H left the ring, proud of this somewhat very controversial title victory. However, the night was not over yet. The Latin American Exchange's music hit, and the fans liked it. Konnan came out with a WWE microphone and stood at the stage.

"Hey, Triple H. Big Batista. Guess what: Edge and Christian are both out your window, so now is the time. Cena and I thought it best for me to come out here and tell you we're comin' in after you this week. My boys and I will see you on Friday Night Smackdown. Hola le! Arriba la raza!"

The crowd cheered as the cocky Thug Pounder spoke these words and retreated to the back. Trips and Batista looked at each other and knew that Friday night was gonna be a long one.

a/n: Sorry, peeps. I got nothin' to say this time. Just remember that recognition of opinions is a spirit booster, and that I like reviews. Peace out, everyone.

-P. Dizzle


	31. Challengers, Challengers…

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 31_**  
_Title: Challengers, Challengers…_  
Show: WWE Friday Night Smackdown (2/23/2006)  
Summary: The Evolution members meet confrontations from Rey Mysterio, LAX, and John Cena for the second straight Smackdown.

Smackdown Commissioner Mick Foley was looking over paperwork in his office, and going over the Smackdown, Evolution, and scheduled guest rosters that were scheduled to be here tonight. There was a sudden knock on his door. Mick said come in, and was soon met by an angry Edge standing right in front of him with his hands on his desk.

"Edge. Rated R Superstar. What can I do for you?" Mick asked.

"You know damn well what you can do for me, Mick," Edge began, already beginning to seethe in anger in front of Foley. "You can start by giving me the WWE Heavyweight Title match against Evolution that I deserve!"

"Edge, I know all about what happened to you this past Monday night on Raw, but the fact still remains that Monty Brown is still the only #1 contender decided for any of the three titles," Mick reminded Edge.

"That's the NWA Championship! I'm talking about the WWE Title!" Edge furiously shot in reply to the mute point.

"Nevermind that thought, Edge. I've come up with an answer. I'll bring it out in a few minutes. Oh, and try to show some patience and wait for an old friend," Mick advised him, before getting up and walking out of the office. Edge looked at him with an intentful gaze, thinking this had better be good.

Meanwhile, the introduction music and fireworks started for the show, after which Michael Cole plugged a big tag team match pitting TNA's Jeff Jarrett and Bobby Lashley against Finlay and JBL, a rematch between Booker T and Chris Benoit for the United States Championship, and all four males of Evolution already being in the ring. Randy Orton was holding a microphone as the fans reacted as they wished.

"Well, this past Sunday night at No Way Out, the fact still remains that we were having a great night, going without a hitch, when (stiff, angry tone) a certain friend of mine called Undertaker (end tone) decided to make the immoral, rash choice to scare Maria straight to hell," Randy recalled, leading to fanatic cheers and chants of the Undertaker's name. "Taker, we tried calling you out on Raw, but it's apparent to me that you don't have the guts to stand face to face with the four extraordinary gentlemen of Evolution. Or maybe I was wrong, and you just wanted to come out on your show, which is Smackdown. (yeah.) So, Undertaker! If you're not a coward, you will come out here and confront us!"

The Undertaker's Dark Bell tolled in the arena, and the cheers in the audience became very raucous, as the four members of Evolution stood firm and ready to fight. However, the lights never went out as they typically do when the Dead Man is about to come out, and there was no sign that he was coming after a good fifteen seconds. The members of Evolution merely shook their heads as the fans booed. Randy gave Triple H the microphone.

"Big, gutless Dead Man, that's all it is," Triple H concluded, a shocked and upset crowd booing in reply. "He would not be able to survive our wrath anyway, so he cowered out of our sights. Anyway, if I recall correctly, there is a group that does have a certain something in the crotch of their pants enough to come out to the ring and face us. So, let's just get to it! LAX! John Cena! Get all your thug monkey asses out here right now!" (yeah!)

The LAX music came up, and out came Konnan, Apolo, Homicide, and Machete, walking with their usual slow, confident swagger, and not too many people behind them. In the ring, each member of Evolution put a serious look on his face, especially Triple H, who was beaten by a chain and a slapjack repeatedly the last time these guys met in the same ring. However, when the group got in, after Konnan finished posing on the turnbuckle nearest him, they did not get closer to Evolution than they had to. Homicide had the mic in his hand, and he passed it to Konnan.

"Okay, now lemme get to my point, Evo-gringos," Konnan began. "We came out here cause we want out payback chance for what you guys did to us at the Royal Rumble. We never got a good chance to get you back in the ring, but I think you guys got enough guts to let us get a crack at ya tonight."

"Enough guts to let you guys get a crack at us tonight?" Triple H said on the Evolution mic, arousing a small group of cheers. "So let me get this straight: you idiots want to take on the most important team ever created? Huh? Is that what you want? (yeah!) Well, guess what, LAX: it's not gonna happen!" (boo!)

"And why not, Triple H? You too scared for the Latin American Exchange, the #1 Chain Gang troop in the world?" Konnan asked.

"No. The only reason I said no is because I know for a fact that we could completely clean your clocks out there even if we half-assed it!" Trips openly declared.

"Put your money where your mouth is," Konnan said.

"Wait! Wait a minute," a voice said back at the ramp. The Evolution and LAX members turned around to see Rey Mysterio, with a microphone, coming down the ramp. The fans saw it as well, and cheered at the sight. He then got into the ring.

"Konnan, I know you wanna beat up on Evolution because of how they tricked you at the Royal Rumble. But I have a big reason for wanting a shot at payback against these guys right here," Rey announced. "This guy (points to Randy Orton) accused me of using our late great friend Eddie Guerrero for publicity, then he tricked me into thinking he got hurt to take away my title shot at WrestleMania! And Randy, I'm here to get that shot back!"

John Cena's music then came on, and a major mixed reaction came up as the Untouchable Chain Gang Leader came down the ramp. He didn't look like hyping up the crowd this time, though. He came out with a dead serious expression on his face, walking down the ramp like he was ready for way. Cena then slid into the ring, and immediately rushed after and took down Triple H, laying a few right hands in on him! Batista harshly ripped Cena off of Trips, after which Konnan rushed to give him a right hand, but Batista blocked it and hit Konnan with one of his own. Mysterio and Orton got into a slugfest of their own, before Mick Foley's music came up, and the Smackdown Commish interrupted the scene in the ring. All the Superstars looked at him as he stood at the ramp with a microphone, ready to make an important announcement.

"Now, in this ring, we have one of the most volatile situations I have seen since becoming the Commissioner of Smackdown, so therefore, I have to come in and break things up, since one of my responsibilities running this fine program is to maintain order," Foley began. "But the fact is, I already devised this plan of action that I've decided to implement. I see now that LAX and John Cena are becoming a little too attached here, especially with these LAX #1 Chain Gang Division shirts Apolo and Machete have on there. (yeah.) So, I've decided to test the true loyalty of LAX and Konnan to the Chain Gang, as well as finally determine in a fair and square manner the #1 contenders for both the WWE Heavyweight Championship owned by Triple H, (mixed reaction) and the NWA Heavyweight Championship currently held by 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton. (mixed reaction) See, it's gonna go down like this. Because of the controversial manner in which Edge from Raw lost the WWE Title match on Raw, and because of the controversial manner in which Monty Brown became the #1 contender for the NWA Title this past week on Impact, we're gonna settle the score right here on Smackdown in a fatal four way tag team matchup! (yeah!) It's gonna be 'the Rated R Superstar' Edge teaming once again with his best friend from Toronto, 'Captain Charisma' Christian Cage, (yeah!) against 'the King of the Mountain' Jeff Jarrett from TNA Impact and 'the Wrestling God' John Bradshaw Layfield, (boo!) versus the team of 'the K-Dogg' Konnan and 'the Human Highlight Reel' Rey Mysterio (whoa!), versus the defending NWA Title #1 contender 'the Alpha Male' Monty Brown, who has been subpoenaed to appear here on Smackdown, (boo.) and… 'the Doctor of Thuganomics' John Cena! (yeah!) And the members of the winning team here in this match become the #1 contenders for the WWE and NWA Heavyweight Titles at TNA's Destination X on March 12th, earning the right to sort amongst themselves who goes for which title!"

With the fans cheering at this announcement, Foley's music came back on again, and the reactions were simple. The LAX and John Cena spoke amongst themselves, Rey Mysterio looked at Orton with a harsh gaze, which was returned. Batista looked back and forth and his warring friends. Ric Flair merely stared at the whole scene, and Triple H looked at the ramp towards Mick Foley's direction and seeing Mick's thumbs up and smile. This segment, at this point, was over.

After a few minutes, we go backstage to Christian Cage, who was looking for Edge. He kept walking around the hallway, calling in Edge's direction, and asking several TNA Superstars had they seen Edge. Soon, though, he saw that Edge had his own locker room in the arena, but before he could knock:

"Hey, Christian!" a voice suddenly shot out. Cage turned around, and was instantly met with a guitar shot from Jeff Jarrett, just like Road Warrior Animal at No Way Out!

"You think your Captain Charisma jock act is gonna get you a title shot? Think again, Christian! I'm the King of the Mountain, and I'm the one who's gonna take the NWA Title from Randy Orton, because that's how _I_ roll!" the irritating Jeff Jarrett yelled before leaving the area. The door to Edge's room still never opened. Apparently, he was too busy kissing Lita, or he was out of his room somewhere. But that theory might be challenged, because after a couple of seconds, you could hear a woman screaming in the middle of the hallway, and Jarrett's voice saying the words, "Come on, whore! Shut up!" But then again, it could have been Miss Jackie.

Now, Evolution is all in their locker room, and they're busy discussing the #1 contender's tag match tonight.

"This is better than anything I could have asked for," Triple H said after drinking some water from his bottle. "Randy, we've got four teams of Superstars who are gonna go out there and kill each other just for a shot at us. Just for an opportunity to face Evolution for the NWA and WWE Championships. And we can all just relax."

"Yeah. If you think about it, it's almost like we're getting a break because of what the Undertaker did at No Way Out," Batista suggested, sitting down on the bench.

"Can you do a more successful job of not reminding us of that? It's really one of my more unfavorite moments to note," Trips said in response to the mention of said unfavorite moment.

"But guys, calm down. I got an idea. Why don't we go straight to the club, and forget about this match, find out who won later?" Ric asked.

"I'll tell you why not, Ric," Randy offered in reply.

"No, I'll tell myself what not, and I'll tell each and every one of you why not. I wanna see for sure who's going for it, how they operate, and what they had to do to get it," Flair explained. "Besides, our reservations were booked for 10:45. We can't show up early, they might just kick us out."

Anyway, when Christian came out for the match first, he heard Edge's music, but his tag team partner was nowhere to be found. Jeff Jarrett and John Bradshaw Layfield's entrances saw each of them laughing at him. Homicide and Apolo came out with Konnan when he came out to team with Mysterio, and Machete came out with Torrie Wilson and Cena as the Doctor of Thuganomics teamed with Monty Brown.

In this match, one member from each of these four teams could be in the ring at the same time. Christian found himself, though, for the most part being handicapped against Jarrett and JBL, as Konnan and Cena frustrated their partners with a silent stalking and waiting game. Eventually, though, Mysterio tagged himself in against Konnan's wishes and went after Cena, dealing with Cena and Monty Brown on the outside as a result.

After the commercial break that came in the midst of this match, Randy Orton was just finished getting a drink of water just outside the Evolution locker room. He then went back into the room and paid attention to his television screen, on which he saw Christian Cage getting worked on with a headlock from Jeff Jarrett. Christian, through the fans' chants, got up on his feet and eventually elbowed his way out of the predicament. He then turned around and dished Jarrett some rights, and eventually some lefts once the King of the Mountain was backed up into the Smackdown ropes. Christian irishwhipped Jarrett, who walked right into a big back body drop. Jarrett got up, Christian gave him a clothesline. Jarrett got up again and took a dropkick from Cage. Christian covered Jarrett, but only got a two count before Bradshaw came into the ring to break things up. JBL picked up Christian and gave him a calculated hard right, then irishwhipped him straight into Jarrett, who was going for a big back body drop on Cage, but Cage rolled through into a sunset flip! 1… 2… JBL booted Christian in the back. Konnan got into the ring and gave Bradshaw a few right hands. He then irishwhipped the Wrestling God, who tried to retaliate with a Clothesline From Hell, but Konnan ducked it. Unfortunately, he ended up walking right into JBL's arms, who gave him a fallaway slam, causing him to roll on to the outside. Machete and Homicide got on the apron and distracted JBL, who went after them, but they got off. Bradshaw turned around only to be lifted onto a man's shoulders, and slammed down in a 180° press slam knocking the wind out of him: John Cena just hit him with the FU! Cena covered JBL. 1… 2… Christian Cage broke matters up.

"Yeah, keep going, guys. Tear it up out there," you could hear Triple H saying from the Evolution locker room as the group watched Christian take Cena into the corner and begin to fire several rights on him. Christian soon hit a few stomping kicks, causing Cena to sit down against the bottom turnbuckle. Christian walked off, pounded his chest a little bit, then ran back to dropkick Cena straight in the face, smashing it between the boots and the post! Christian got up and turned around into a seated senton from Mysterio, who stayed on for the cover. 1… 2… Monty Brown harshly ripped Mysterio off from on top of Christian to save his #1 contendership. Edge was still nowhere to be found! Jeff Jarrett attacked Brown from behind with a right hand, causing the Alpha Male to turn around. Jarrett hit Brown with a right hand to the face. Monty simply looked at him, then placed Jarrett in the corner and hit him with a hard shoulder thrust. Brown irishwhipped Jarrett to the other side and went for a rough clothesline which shook Jarrett out of the corner. Thinking he had him on the ropes, Monty ran off the ropes to charge at Jeff for a Pounce, but the Double J saw it coming and sidestepped it, causing Brown to charge through the ropes to the outside!

Jarrett, though, soon found himself taking a dropkick from behind, causing him to land with his throat on the second rope. Rey Mysterio, the culprit of the dropkick, then signaled and went for th 619, which connected on Mysterio! John Cena got up as Rey went to drop the dime on Jarrett, and he intercepted it with a harsh powerbomb. Then, Konnan got in the ring with his slapjack in hand and hit John Cena square in the head with it! The referee rang the bell, and Tony Chimel made an announcement.

"The team of Konnan and Rey Mysterio has just been disqualified."

The fans booed at the fact that Rey was not going to get his crack at payback, and even moreso at the fact that Konnan was responsible! Meanwhile, Konnan, who just belted his own thug associate in the head, was now walking towards John Cena, with his palms open as if to be trying to apologize. Torrie came up on the apron, which distracted him, then screamed at him about why did he do this. A bent-out-of-shape Konnan swung the slapjack at her, but Machete pulled her back down, then went into the ring himself to confront Konnan, who took a while to even pay attention, and eventually Homicide, who joined the LAX leader's side after seeing his true face. Homicide pushed Machete. Machete pushed back. Konnan hit Machete with the slapjack! Homicide looked at Konnan with an understanding gaze as the big Cuban-Puerto Rican looked at the associates he felled. He shook his head and started to walk away when Rey Mysterio went past Apolo and shoved the two LAX members in the ring. He asked them was was going on, only to get turned around by Apolo and given a huge spinebuster, though Konnan did admonish Apolo. The three men went away from the ring, Konnan looking somber. It's as if for once in his life, he was **not** proud of hitting someone. It should also be noted that Cena was hit straight in the head, and he was the only one slightly bleeding as a result.

Once that was over, Jeff Jarrett and JBL were both up on their feet and ready to try picking apart Christian, as they picked up Captain Charisma and went for a double suplex. He landed on his feet, however, then turned around just as JBL did and gave him a neck breaker. Jarrett then tried to forearm Christian as soon as he got up, but was sidestepped by the Canadian Rage, who then dropkicked him from behind, which sent him outside the ring.

Meanwhile, JBL had just gotten back up, and Christian, trying to win the #1 contenderships for himself and Edge all by himself, was completely oblivious to the fact… until he turned around right into a Clothesline From Hell! It was just like that #1 contender's match via which he came to Smackdown in the 2005 draft lottery. The only difference is, Bradshaw couldn't pick up the pinfall, because Monty Brown came into the ring, irishwhipped him, ran sideways to the ropes, then Pounced him out of commission! The usually heelish Alpha Male was now cheered for as he covered JBL. 1… 2… 3!

"Ladies and gentlemen, here are your winners, and the new #1 contenders for the WWE Heavyweight Championship and the NWA Heavyweight Championship, Monty Brown and John Cena!"

Those words from Tony Chimel echoed loudly as the Alpha Male celebrated and posed in the ring, knowing he just won the match. It was clean, undisputed, supreme victory right here. Brown then looked down at the Italian-American thug man who just benefitted from this victory, at first with a scowl, but then he started nodding his head in respect as he saw a partly blood-faced Cena get back up on his feet hanging from the turnbuckle. Monty came to John Cena and raised his hand high in the air, giving the fans a small moment. Brown then slid out of the ring, tripped Cena, dragged him out so that he could land on his feet, and helped him to the back.

In the meanwhile, Christian Cage was just getting up after having gotten the cobwebs cleaned out of him by John Bradshaw Layfield and that Clothesline from Hell. At this point in time, he wasn't exactly too sure what was going on. Then, Edge's music came on following those five words they used to do their entrance in. The fans became rowdy, some with cheers, some with boos. But Edge came without Lita, and was not focused on posing himself off. He stormed towards the ring angrily, sliding in in a very confrontational mood. Edge then got in Christian's face, demanding something from the man he should have been teaming with. When Christian stood confused, Edge shoved him. Cage pushed back, but then Edge punched Christian Cage down to the ground to a chorus of boos! He came down on top of the man who at last was his best friend and began to punch away at him, when Batista suddenly came out to the ring to a riotous reception!

Edge got up to turn around and meet Batista, who picked him up by the waist and ran him straight into the turnbuckle, after which he thrust his shoulder into him several times. After that was done, Batista pounded his chest a couple of time, then came back to Edge, irishwhipped him, and dealt him a huge Leviathan Spinebuster!

Randy Orton then came out to the ring, and he and Batista checked on Christian as Captain Charisma began to get up. Orton cupped Cage's head in his hands to ask if he was okay, then after getting a yes, he suddenly turned on Cage, giving him an RKO! The move was highly controversial; some loved it, many hated it. But still, Evolution's music still rang to Orton and Batista's domination in the middle of the ring. Batista merely stood there and looked around as the proud Randy did all the posing.

_a/n: Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's finally official. WWE WrestleMania 22 has already happened, and I still haven't gotten to the story's big plan for my version of the pay-per-view. But, that's not gonna kill me or the project. I am ready to keep on going strong. Speaking of something…_

_hey, hhhhunterhhh. Not to pick on you or cause any problems or nothin' like that, but I kinda noticed that review of yours wasn't exactly the… best._

_Be prepared to see a lot of good storylines surrounding what has currently happened. Alright, so let's get on with it. Remember to give me feedback as I continue to feed you with excellence and make you happy. That's how to make me happy. Signing out:_

_-P. Dizzle_


	32. A Clash of the Champions

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 32_**  
_Title: A Clash of the Champions_  
Show: TNA Saturday Night Impact (2/24/2006)  
Summary: Optimistic reports on Maria from the team; NWA Champion Randy Orton, the only Evolutioner present, faces X Division Champion Samoa Joe.

Right before the TNA Impact broadcast began, a limousine pulls up in the arena. A redhead woman driver with a cute face comes out her seat, goes to the back, and opens the door for someone. The limousine is obviously Evolution's, as the Evolution shield logo is present as the mark on all sides. Out of the limo, however, only comes NWA Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, who come out and checks out the lady driver a little bit. She put on a slightly disgusted look on her face at the egotistical Legend Killer, who just showed up alone for the first time since the reinception of the supreme team of Evolution.

Then, after the TNA Impact entrance theme and video, and Tenay noting that there would be an announcement concerning Raw's John Cena, Konnan and the Latin American Exchange, the entrance music of Randy Orton went on in a TNA arena once again. The fans spared no expense and took no time at all to wait before they already started jeering Randy Orton. Then, the once again richly suited man came out and did his glory pose with the NWA Heavyweight Championship around his waist. The fans were absolutely disgusted by this display of blatant brashness which was trademark for Randy Orton. His slow, cocky, confident stride to enter the ring and do his pose again at the turnbuckle generated jeers the world over. Finally, Orton got a microphone.

"Now, I know you're all probably wondering why I'm here all by myself tonight, without any of the other members of Evolution in the arena," Randy started, and without saying, the arena cheered like nobody'd business. "Well, for the benefit of you people, who I'd… rather not be telling, (boo!) my teammates are visiting Maria in the hospital. They left on one of Ric's great jets immediately after Smackdown last night, and I haven't even heard anything to tell me they've made it there since. Now, speaking of Smackdown, I tried twice to call out the Undertaker. Once on Raw, once on Smackdown. But it's pretty obvious to me that he is nothing but scared to face 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton! (boo.) Come on, everybody, let's face it! If Taker wasn't afraid of me, he wouldn't be hiding behind some facade that I don't even know! Or it could just be that since everybody's saying that TNA is the place to be, (fans start "TNA!" chant) that he was waiting to be here at TNA Impact to make his move. But being the WWE loyalist that I can pretty much figure he is, I severely doubt that. Now, off the subject of the man who I'm gonna destroy next time I see him, (boo.) to a man who thinks he will Pounce through me just like he did all those wanna-be #1 contenders, like, um… Jeff Jarrett, Rey Mysterio, John Bradshaw Layfield, Christian Cage, those guys. Those wannabes. Those idiots. (boo.) Well, let's get something straight for 'the Alpha Male' Monty Brown. If there is anyone that you are going to beat for this NWA Heavyweight Championship of the World, it will not be me! Let's remember, I became the only WWE Superstar to defect to TNA in the middle of his active status with WWE! I became the only WWE Superstar to ever be privileged enough to hold TNA's NWA Heavyweight Title! And I became the fastest NWA Heavyweight Champion in terms of active contract status time in Total Nonstop Action history! All on the same night, in one of the most critical steps towards establishing the greatest regime in the history of this business, Evolution! (boo.) And I did that all on the same night! Monty, I really hope you're ready for me, because I am arguably the best wrestler in this fine business today, and you may be a great wrestler, but compared to me, you are nothing! (boo!) I will grind you up and tear you down in pieces at Destination X on March 12th, and you will know that it wasn't a fluke. It was destiny."

Finally interrupting that annoying promo from Randy Orton was the ECW theme music which now accompanied TNA Director of Authority Paul E. Dangerously, who came out to the respectful cheers and mixed TNA/ECW chants of the crowd. Paul E. walked down and entered the ring with his usual fast swagger, which told Randy that the man had something to say.

"Well, Randy, congratulations on pulling all that off, but I have to say that if it were for me, you wouldn't have even gotten the chance to worm your way through TNA in an instant," Paul E. stated, earning some more fans' respect. "But, since you're here, present in this arena, and you seem all ready to compete tonight, (yeah.) we're going to do something special, Randy. This is going to be our main event tonight on Impact. (yeah.) How about this: Champion vs. Champion, right here tonight!" (yeah!)

"What are you talking about, Champion vs. Champion?" Randy asked, beginning to imagine some possible results.

"I think this night would be the most opportune time to show you personally what TNA is all about, especially since you don't have Evolution with you in the building tonight, (yeah.) so here's what I mean by Champion vs. Champion," Paul E. continued, his tone growing more sadistic. "I mean, that tonight's main event will be… the NWA Heavyweight Champion, 'the Legend Killer' Randy Orton, going one on one against the TNA X Division Champion, 'the Samoan Submission Machine' Samoa Joe! (yeah!) (Randy begins to complain off mic) Let's see, Randy, if you have what it takes to give Samoa Joe his very first defeat here in TNA! Now, good luck, and hopefully, you don't get killed out there, because you still have your match at Destination X."

Paul E.'s music theme came up once again, and the boss of Impact walked out of the ring and went to the back with the cheers and mixed chants coming up once again. He continues to deliver as the boss. Orton complained about his opposition tonight, although he knew that he would not get anywhere with that. Eventually, he resigned himself, as could be told by the angry look on his face which gave away the "damn, I know I can't do anything about this" vibe.

A few minutes later, Randy Orton was walking to the back when he received a call from someone on his cellphone.

"Hello? Hey, man, what's up? Yeah? How is she? Good. I'll be wa… wait a minute. Next week? Smackdown? I mean, yeah, I'm gonna be ecstatic to see her out of that hospital bed, but I don't know if we should rush to it. Yeah? Well, I still don't like this, but I guess I'll see her Friday. Guess what? I got a match against Samoa Joe tonight. I'm gonna get the chance to be the first one to take him down. Personally, I'd rather not wrestle tonight, but Paul E. already booked it, and if I no-showed this match, I could be in for it. Alright, man. Later."

He then hung up on his phone, but found himself near the interview area, where Apolo, Homicide, and Konnan of the LAX Chain Gang stood. He decided to listen in on the experience.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm standing here with the Latin American Exchange," Jeremy Borash said beside the 3 street thugs, prompting the audience to jeer their heads off. "Now, everyone here has the same question on their minds: what was up with that slight, if you can even call it that, slapjack assault on two of your own, Machete and the Doctor of Thuganomics John Cena?"

"JB, I've had enough o' dis crap about me betrayin' John Cena, and dissention within the ranks, and all that dumb stuff. I'm here to clear the air on that attack. The fact is, my partner in that #1 contender's tag match wasn't John Cena, it was Rey Mysterio. I wasn't in one o' my best moods, I was just slammed to the outside by a big quitter, and I just saw John powerbomb my tag team partner. That's why I hit him, but right there I knew I screwed up. Machete decided to get in my face, so he ended up takin' somethin'. I didn't even bother to figure out who it was before I got him with this. (held up the slapjack) But I heard they may not be here tonight, and apparently those rumors were right, so I'm just gonna say it here: John, Machete, Torrie, I'm sorry about last night-"

Then, Konnan and Homicide each felt a hand on their shoulders. They turned around, and they saw a smiling John Cena.

"Hey, man. I got roughed up on that one, but… the rumors were wrong. I'm listenin' to ya right here, and one thought hits my head, man," Cena said.

"So, what's up?" Konnan asked.

"Accidents happen. Bad nights happen. But we still good, man. Come on. We got a couple jobs to pull," the Doctor of Thuganomics answered, leading his LAX buddies down the hall. Meanwhile, Jeremy Borash turned around to find the Legend Killer standing behind him.

"Uh, don't you have a match to get ready for? What are you doing here?" Jeremy asked Randy.

"After what I just saw, I will never understand street thugs," Randy simply stated before walking away to his own locker room to get ready for Samoa Joe.

Meanwhile, Edge and Lita were waiting outside of Christian Cage's locker room, awaiting the arrival of Captain Charisma.

"When is he coming?" Edge asked Lita, as well as himself. However, a few seconds later, Edge found in his face a seriously frowning Christian.

"Okay, Edge. Speak up. You mind telling me what the hell that was last night?" Christian asked with an equally irate tone to his voice. The steel gray eyes of the Rated R Superstar did not exactly radiate with happiness themselves.

"Okay, Christian. I'll tell you what that was. That me making sure that you start worrying about being a good friend and stop caring so much about being the Creepy Little Bastard or 'the great Captain Charisma'," Edge began to explain.

"What are you talking about, huh? Spill it," Christian once again demanded.

"I'll tell you what I'm talking about, Christian! AMW, America's Most Wanted! They had me tied up and handcuffed in the boiler room! Lita found me and tried to free me, but I told her to get you to help me. Next thing you know, neither one of you ever showed, and come middle of the match, AMW let me go. I found Lita locked up in a storage closet. She sounded real scared, trying to tell me something, but what I did hear was 'Christian… attacked…'."

"Then you saw what happened to me, Lita. Prior to the match, I was attacked by Jeff Jarrett with his guitar!" a hasty Christian explained. "I couldn't possibly be in any condition to help out. And he left me there to recover and get in the match for us. Now that I think about it, I couldn't figure anything was going on. I fought as best I could in the match, but it was too much. I thought you bailed on me!"

"Why would I do something like that?" Edge demanded.

"And why would I?" Christian repeated in reference to himself.

"This is all my fault!" Lita finally yelled to interrupt the argument. "This all my fault because I got scared. Edge, I tried to tell you that 'Christian was attacked by Jarrett, and that's who put me in the closet so I'd shut up!', but I was so scared that half of me didn't even figure out it was you, Edge!"

"So it was Jarrett, trying to take out the competition before getting into the match. Wasn't JBL his partner, though?" Edge realized.

"Yeah, but from what I can tell, John Bradshaw Layfield had nothing to do with this, or he did all the backstage planning," Christian suspected.

"I screwed up, guys. I'm sorry," Lita then apologized. "It was my fault what happened last week. But I think I know how I can make it all better. You see how Evolution took advantage of my mistake, of our dissention, to beat up on you two? Well, guess what. I talked to Kurt Angle, then I talked to Mick Foley, then I got him to talk to Shane McMahon, and they've all agreed to a six-man tag match Monday night on Raw. We're finally gonna get our hands on all three of Evolution's heavyweight champions. Orton, Triple H, and Batista. It's gonna be those three, against us and this guy."

"Who are you talking about?" Edge asked, when Lita took a paper out of her left pants pocket and unfolded it to reveal a printed picture of Kurt Angle giving Ric Flair an Ankle Lock (and Flair tapping out) during a 2005 Raw match.

"Team E.C.K.!" the Rated X Redhead answered with a grin on her face. Edge and Christian looked at each other, gave a small embrace of reconciliation, then grinned themselves.

Come main event time, Samoa Joe came out to his music with his usual "down to kill" face and no fancy antics on his walk into the ring, except for raising his hands in a premature claim of victory. He was slightly cheered for, as has become the fans' trademark of treatment towards his entrance, although the bloody towels of AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels on Samoa Joe's person still disgusted some people. Randy Orton's music, however, was much more negatively received, as the NWA Heavyweight Champion was booed from the moment "Nothing You Can Say" came on to the time he posed his glory pose at the turnbuckle. A few girls screamed for him, however, and Samoa Joe took advantage of Randy Orton's posing to put Orton on his shoulders and drop him into an electric chair drop!

There, the bell rang, and Samoa Joe went to kicking around Randy Orton a little bit, before he picked him up and gave him a scoop slam. Joe picked up Randy again, irishwhipped him, and hit him with a spinning kick to the gut, before coming off the ropes and going with a high leaping kick on Orton, which knocked him clean in the jaw! The temporarily face Joe quickly covered Orton, who kicked out after the count of two. Samoa Joe ran off the ropes, then gave Orton a running neck breaker. He then applied an armbar for a small while before Orton extended high for a kick to the head, stopping Joe and giving him the opportunity to squirm free. Randy then got up hit the bigger man who was on one knee with a couple of right hands, followed by an uppercut. It finally knocked Samoa Joe off his feet completely. Orton then ran off the ropes and hit a high leaping knee drop on Joe, then choked Joe using the bottom rope, leading to the ref's DQ count. Randy let go at the count of two, then did his glory pose again, a sight that was more booed than anything. When he turned around, he saw Joe getting up, so he dropkicked him to the outside. Then, Orton created a rarity: he created a high spot by leaping over the top onto Samoe Joe once he was halfway up! Finally, some people started cheering for Orton during this match. Both men struggled to get up as the action left for commercial break.

When the action came back on Spike TV, Orton and Samoa Joe were both running off the ropes. Joe attempted a clothesline, but Randy ducked it, came behind Joe, and hit a falling neck breaker. He covered Samoa Joe, but it didn't quite work out as he wanted. Joe kicked out. Randy, though, stayed on the Physical Killer by giving another high leaping knee drop, then going with a headlock. However, Joe quickly lifted out of that, forcing Orton to let go to escape. But the ever resourceful Randy took a page from his mentor Ric Flair with a thumb to the eye of Samoa Joe. This was not acceptable to the ref, who admonished him right there. But Orton kept going, with Joe's throat falling on the second rope, as the Legend Killer hit in some right forearms to the back of Samoa Joe. But as a smart strategic procedure, Randy took enough time between each hit so that the referee didn't find a reason to go on the count. Then, Orton went outside the ring to use the rope for a guillotine neck breaker on Samoa Joe, knocking him off and back down to the ground. Edge, Lita, and Christian Cage could then be seen at the heel's ramp observing the match. Apparently Orton did not see them, however, as he came back into the ring and continued working on Samoa Joe. On one knee behind the One Man Brood (I call him so because of the 'bloodbath' feature of the Brood in conjunction with the bloody towels of Styles and Daniels), Orton folded Joe into a right angle, then smacked away at his chest with several, about 20, beating forearms to the chest. Randy posed to the crowd, and this time, half the people cheered, while the other half stayed stiff with boos.

The NWA Heavyweight Champion looked at Samoa Joe getting up, the irishwhipped him into the turnbuckle with force, causing a hard bounce off the ropes for the X Division Champion. Joe managed to stay up, though he was staggering backwards favoring his chest. Orton tried again, though, by pushing Joe into the post for him to bounce again. This time, though, Joe fell flat on his back. Orton got up on the turnbuckle, then Edge ran down to the ring to try to hit Orton, only to end up getting slapped away and hit a frog splash style cross body. Joe was now on one knee, trying to recollect himself, as Orton came over to him. Samoa Joe, though, countered whatever Orton was trying to do with a left hand to the gut. Joe followed up with a right hand, then got to his feet and hit Orton with a right hand to the face, knocking him down. Joe tried to jump over Randy to go off the ropes, but the Legend Killer tripped him up, held on to the ankle, got up, and smashed it (and Joe's knee) down hard.

Randy then looked over at the ramp where Edge, Lita, and Christian were, and shared a few words with them, before turning back to Samoa Joe and dropping a knee into the back of Joe's left leg. Orton then went for a single leg crap on Joe, who was writhing in pain a little bit. Apparently, that hit was injury and aggravation enough. But fear not, Samoa Joe fans, he did not tap out. He kicked back on his other leg to kick Orton in the ribs, and after a couple of kicks, the Legend Killer ended up letting go and favoring his ribs for a small while, though it wasn't too small for Samoa Joe to get up in its midst. Joe came at Orton with a right hand, knocking the Legend Champion all the way back to the ropes. It also caused Orton to run off right back to Joe, who then hit a major back body drop on Orton. Randy got back up and received a running leaping kick to the jaw. Joe then picked up Randy, set him up in the corner, stomp kicked him until he fell to sitting down, then thrust a knee straight into Orton's face, smashing it between big knee and turnbuckle post! Joe picked up Orton again and tried to irishwhip him into the opposite corner with force, but Randy was able to stop himself and leap up as Joe ran towards him. He landed behind Joe, who turned around straight into an RKO attempt. Joe didn't push off, but he didn't get caught, as he used his strength to lift Orton even higher up, then caught him and tossed him forward! He inadvertently ended up making the Legend Killer hit the referee with a senton splash, however. This turned out to be the turning point of the match.

From the ramp opposite that of Edge, Lita, and Christian Cage, out burst X Division Superstars AJ Styles and Christopher Daniels, who will be facing Samoa Joe in the Ultimate X match at Destination X! Styles and Daniels, much to the glee of the crowd, attacked Samoa Joe and brought him into the corner, working on him with punches and kicks. They stopped, and Daniels laid down on his hands and knees as Styles walked to the opposite corner. The Phenomenal One then ran towards the Fallen Angel, and leapt over him onto Samoa Joe for a splash in the corner, after which Joe walked a step forward and ended up walking into a Daniels hurracanrana. Christopher then went up top and nailed Samoa Joe with the BME - Best Moonsault Ever. Meanwhile, Randy Orton was just getting up. He saw Styles and Daniels, then helped them pick up Samoa Joe, after which the referee started coming to, AJ and Daniels left the ring, and Orton just hit Joe with the RKO! As the referee got into position to count, Orton covered Joe. 1… 2… no three count, Randy got up off Joe! Styles and Daniels got back up on the apron, then entered the ring, asking along with the fans what the heck just happened. In reply, Orton took Daniels and gave him the RKO! AJ Styles was now not taking this lightly. Styles pushed Orton. Orton pushed Styles harder. Styles rushed after Orton, who lowered the ropes and made him fall out. Styles angrily got right back up and rushed into the ring, then rook an RKO of his own! Orton walked back with a cocky gaze similar to the one on the Smackdown Special, then left the ring and walked backwards up the heel's ramp. The further from the ring he went, the closer he went to Edge and company, the further along in the ten count the referee got. Soon, though, it wound up going to ten.

"The winner of this match, the X Division Champion, Samoa Joe!"

This shout from the TNA ring announcer was followed by Samoa Joe's music, during which Orton finally ran into someone. In fact, he ended up tripping over Lita, and the fans went raucous as the chase was on. Edge and Christian now ran after Randy Orton like nobody's business all through the TNA backstage area.

Meanwhile, in another part of backstage, "the Alpha Male" Monty Brown was awaiting for something. In fact, he was in position to hit a Pounce on somebody. After about twelve seconds, he heard something and ran forward. Someone ran across him and he missed them, but ended up hitting someone else instead, and Pouncing them straight into a wall. He saw that the other person he hit was… Christian Cage! Monty was shocked, but still smiled a little bit at the sight, until he turned around and Edge gave him a Spear. As Edge came down to check on Christian, and Lita joined him, the Rated R Superstar ended up being punished with a chair shot from behind to the skull from Orton. Lita looked up and saw that he was the culprit, causing her mouth and eyes to open wide in shock and fear. However, he simply smiled that cocky smile of his, dropped the chair, and walked away. TNA Impact came off the air with a disgusted crowd.

_a/n: Okay, I promised to give the people answers about my chapter 19 rant, in hopes that I will finally put whatever uprising is prepared to go up against me to rest. Personally, right now I'm tired of explaining this, and I'm already thinking that this crap is growing old._

_See, it's come to my attention that my "demands for respect", as I called it, are actually a kind of caustic cry for fanfic mercy or something. Yeah, what I'm trying to say is, not good. But before everybody starts getting on my case three million times about my slight series of "fangirl-takeover-bashing" or whatever the hell it is, let me straighten up a bent picture before it falls off and breaks._

_The thing is, I have nothing against teenage fangirls. I have nothing against love stories. And I have nothing against Randy Orton, or John Cena. But the facts are like this: I don't qualify as a teenage fangirl (the "girl" part being the obvious reason why), or a master of love stories, and the fact that I made those complaints mean that me being even a slight fan of Randy Orton or John Cena, let alone an avid fan, has absolutely nothing to do with it._

_My problem was presented to me in a plain and simple form: because the majority of readers, writers, and reviewers here is the teenage fangirl, is the master of the self-insert, is the proud exclusive advocate of a love story, and is the one that drools over Randy Orton and John Cena (and considers the fact that I mentioned them specifically makes this really have anything to do with them), my story was just like Captain R Superstar's in the regard that it ran the high risk of not getting a whole lot of noticeable recognition for its excellence, despite the fact that reviews haven't dwindled or gone low at all for Captain R until recently._

_And trust me, I do believe that I have created one of the greatest stories of all time, because this is one of the first stories where TNA runs strong, where the old meets the new, and where wrestling actually is what matters. Not to mention that WWE and TNA coming together to do this would absolutely change the face of professional wrestling now and forever, unlike a story that is simply all about a love pairing with Orton and Cena. But enough about me and my self-promotion, I came here to make a point._

_The point is, the "fangirl overload dilemma" meant that there was the chance of me getting a majorly known story or an unrecognized "piece of crap to most of the people here" story from this. As far as I see, or at least saw back then, the result is, or at least was, more the latter than the former. The trouble I was having is, I took all this time to commit myself to an innovative and original idea the likes of which the site has never seen before. In all truth, that's actually kind of my intention with every story I ever made or helped make. Yet because of the "teenage fangirl invasion phenomenom" (how many names am I gonna make for this?) combining the factors of teenage fangirls, self-insert, love stories, and a constant body-based fandom (mainly of Orton or Cena) into this flood of self-insert "wrestler falls in love with me" stories overshadowing and taking attention from any originals that may come across, at least among the fangirls and/or actual reviewing readers, I had just made one of the originals taken into the unfortunate realm of the unsung hero, the unappreciated champion, the… John Cena of in a funny way. (because he's getting booed all the time as a face now)_

_And it was most obvious during that point in time, since, like I said, I'd gotten so many consecutive unreviewed chapters that it kinda forced me to wonder whether there was even a point to posting, whether I shouldn't have just written it for the sake of my files and left it off the internet. Cause if there's no sign that people are paying attention to your work, you might as well just never present it. When you try to present yourself openly to a community or a group of people, odds are you want some kind of proof or indication that they will recognize and accept you as one of them, come as you are. You don't get that, you wonder what the hell was the point, or if you were better off pledging allegiance to the flag of the Loner State of Hell or something._

_I will agree with WWE-Me on this: you do write to get yourself and your creative outlet going. But you post it up into the community to be a part of it. When you post, and you get pretty much nothing to show for it, you get to thinking the story's pointless, or you get bored with it, or you get frustrated or agitated or something happens to take down your interest in getting it done. Like I said, people have gotten discouraged from getting nothing to show for their efforts. Writing has worsened, stories have been deleted, members have quit writing, or quit the site. Period. People have even threatened to stop writing and posting if their friends' stories did not gain enough reviews. I know, because I'm working with somebody on a major story project in another section of the site, and they've done just that._

_You may disagree with this logic, but it was kinda because of this logic that I got pissed off when I was posting chapter 19. Remember, I wrote the chap ahead of time, so it's not like I planned that rant out as a contingency plan or something. I just got real frustrated, because to me, this issue marked the "failure" of my first posted story in about a year to go well. And in my life, a lot of things haven't exactly gone my way, and that's counting (or discounting, however I think about it at the time) the fact that I never had a girlfriend to break up with me over some stupid crap that was placed way out of proportion. I was in that mood like, "If this isn't gonna work, why am I even trying?" The whole time, I felt shortchanged on this. And I actually knew why. Top of that, I knew I couldn't do shit about it. And that pissed me off. At that point, to no end._

_But, despite all that, I can still stand up and say that my comeback wasn't 100.5 all about the reviews. I was inspired to **this** idea, and I did go with **this**, and I did stick with **this**. If it were all about the reviews, I woulda done some kind of love story with Orton, Cena, and a couple of divas relaxing on the beach or something just to fit in with the fangirls. And even that woulda likely sucked, and probably even worse, because I'd be letting the popular idea dictate my own._

_I coulda replied to one of the reviews responsible for this little essay by saying I had as much right to voice my frustration as the right of the source of my frustration to be what it is. I coulda skipped the entire explanation and pretended to pull an Eddie Guerrero by saying something like, "Oh, about that chapter 19 rant? I lied!" But I ain't sayin' nothin' but what it is, because it is what it is. I just thought I was being shortchanged. And despite the fact that the core of this part of the site consists of teenage girls (and possible hotties at that) and their desire to make out with two of the coolest and most successful Superstars in WWE today, I did not think for a second this was ever supposed to happen._

_Now that I'm done explaining myself as best as I possibly could at least today, I'd like to say I'm sorry to everyone I offended even to the slightest degree with my… frustrated episode. Hopefully I've tied up all the loose ends here, and if I haven't, you know where to reach me. And I'm not even talkin' about reviews._

_I'm gonna take a break for about a week. (spring break week) After all this, I really feel like I might need one. Peace out, peeps._

_-P. Dizzle_


	33. Spearheads and Stinktatude

**The Evolution of This Business** (a WWE/TNA story)  
by P. Dizzle tha Prime Legend Champion

Associative Disclaimer: This story is completely original and fictional.   
Proprietary Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing but the story itself.  
Rating: T  
Summary: The former members of Evolution are in their prime, but facing major problems. After a little thinking, Triple H decides that enough is enough, not only for their problem sources, but the entire wrestling business as well!

**_Chapter 33_**  
_Title: Spearheads and Stinktatude_  
Show: WWE Monday Night Raw (2/26/2006)  
Summary: Evolution reunites and reports on Maria before the match against Team E.C.K., but find that they are in for a great deal of issues.

Around 1:00 in the afternoon, Randy Orton was in his hotel room, which was actually one of those nice looking suites. He had just woken up a couple of hours ago, and was now in his sweats. He was going to walk to a nearby gym to do his daily workout there, but before he could even get out of his room to begin, he heard something on his cell phone.

"Hey, who's th- oh, hey Maria. How are ya? Good, but are you sure about this? Alright then. Just… don't make any stupid moves Friday night. Got that? By the way, where are the others? Really? That's where I'm going right now. Thanks for the tip. Bye." He then hung up.

Meanwhile, at the gym, Ric Flair was sitting down, lifting a few light weights when someone came in through the front door right next to him. He stopped and looked, noticing that it was Randy Orton.

"Randy, what's up? I saw you basically kick everyone's ass on Impact. How ya feelin, kid?" Ric asked.

"Not bad, man. Not bad. I didn't beat Joe, but then again, that was my decision to make. I coulda done it, but I decided I had more asses to kick than one big Samoan," he said in a half joking tone. "We got three more asses to kick later tonight, kid," Triple H said as he was coming towards his youngest male Evolution partner. The two greeted with a handshake and a shoulder bump. "So, Maria just called you, right? How did she sound?"

"I don't like the idea of her coming back so soon, but she sounded pretty good, actually," Randy answered. "She told me I'd find you guys here, but I was heading here myself anyway."

"So you already found your workout spot in this place, huh?" Trips asked, referring to the city where they were right now.

"Yeah, pretty much. Where's Dave?" Randy asked.

"Already hittin' the weights," Trips said, pointing forward to Batista, who was already lifting up 200 pounds. "If I didn't know better, I'd say he works out as much as Eddie did."

"Maybe he works out even more than… wait, you mean for his size, right?"

"Shut up."

"So we've got Edge, Kurt, and Christian tonight. I know for a fact that Edge won't play it clean. Look out for the Con-chair-to," Ric advised Orton and Trips.

"I severely doubt it'll be clean myself. Randy, come on. Let's go hit the weights," Trips answered, as he and the 25-year-old kid from St. Louis went forward near where Batista was at. "By the way, tell me you got one of those honeymoon suites. If there's a couple planning to use it, I'd love to see the look on their face when they find out there's a spot taken by us."

Once the Raw introduction video and fireworks came on, Joey Styles, plugged a triple threat tag team championship match with Kane and the Big Show defending against the two teams of Carlito and Chris Masters, along with V-Squared (Val Venis and Viscera), as well as a challenge by Rob Van Dam to TNA superstar Alex Shelley, and then the Evolution vs. Team E.C.K. six person tag team match, Evolution's music started up again. Randy Orton, Triple H, Ric Flair, and Batista came out to a mixed reaction consistent of mostly cheers. The great looking suits with the championships on each man's right shoulder were great stories to be told. After standing there at the ramp for a great few seconds, the group walked down in their calm and confident tone as usual. They all simply got into the ring, completely disregarded the art of posing, and got microphones as the music and changed lighting died down. Cheers and boos, though mostly cheers, filled the arena. The group took a while to savor it in before Triple H finally lifted his microphone up to his face to speak.

"I'd have to say, it's quite funny how the past refuses to leave us, don't you think?" Trips asked, leading to a small group of cheers, as the people had no idea what he meant. "I mean, first, we face hell coming into the end of 2005 following the death of the late great Eddie Guerrero, although he really had nothing to do with it. Next thing you know, we have to deal with the Rey Mysterios, LAXes, John Cenas, Edge Armies, Christian Cages of the world. Now, granted, most of this stuff we've never faced before, like LAX and John Cena, but we've got old friends turning against us like Mysterio and Matt Hardy. We've also got old allies and old enemies getting in the way, like Lita, and Edge, and Christian. And also, the Undertaker, who's basically had problems with each and every one of us except for Batista, decides to revive and intensify the old feuds by scaring Maria into an unnatural heartbeat. Not an irregular heartbeat, but an unnatural heartbeat. But see, she's gotten a whole lot better over the past week, and she will continue to recover from that mental beat down, as she is now ready, on all cylinders, to come back this Friday night on Smackdown. (yeah.) Tonight, though, we have a bit of a more immediate problem, in the form of Team E.C.K. (yeah!) You see, Edge and Christian, along with that- that little redheaded whore, refuse to leave us alone, so much now that they've decided to bring an old friend into this in the form of Smackdown's Wrestling Machine. But Kurt, if you're listening to me, teaming with Edge is a huge mistake. Because the minute you align with that jackass against us, you become a target of my attention. And trust me, that's nothing that anybody wants."

"But… hold on, Trips. I just realized something," Batista cut in. "All three members of Team E.C.K. have faced us for out Heavyweight Titles. First, at Against All Odds, Randy here bypassed all interference from the Edge Army and showed Christian Cage what for. A week later, at No Way Out, I beat Kurt Angle in one of the most amazing matches… actually, the most amazing match I've ever been a part of. Not to mention the fact that you, Triple H, basically cleaned the clock off the Edge himself despite the Edge Army and Christian helping him out, the very next night on last week's Raw. (yeah!) So, I just thought to ask myself here: don't you think that all three guys are possibly trying us by this tag match basically just because they can't get anything done against us themselves?"

Then, Lita's music suddenly came on, and the entire arena jeered at the Rated X Redhead, expecting her to come out. She did exactly so, and for once, she wasn't on Edge's arm. Plus, she held her own microphone, which obviously meant that she had something to say. She finally did begin speaking once her music died down.

"Okay, Evolution. I think everybody here has kinda gotten bored hearing you guys talk on and on about what's going on in your lives, and what you think every one of your opponents is like, so let's get on to a much more interesting subject," Lita began.

"Oh, like how a slut like you could convince a stand-up guy like Matt Hardy, along with all his friends, to join forces with you and Edge? And don't talk to me about that 'Triple H screwed' logic, because I know enough about all of you OMEGA folks to know that they're all beyond that," Ric Flair guessed, putting words in her mouth without getting the fans interested.

"No, Ric. More like what else I managed to get the admins to book you into. Oh, and as far as what you just said, you also knew enough about all of us OMEGA folks to know that I was beyond changing boyfriends, and guess what? I did," Lita countered. However, that wasn't exactly a wise decision. "Now, onto the other problems. You see, I had a bit of a feeling that Maria wasn't gonna stay out too long, so I also talked to the admins about a Women's Championship singles match on the night that she came back. And guess what: they gave me that match. So the way I see it, you just told me a few minutes ago that I'm spending my last four days without the Women's Title."

"Oh, so he knew enough about all you OMEGA folks to know that you're not a slut, and you are," Randy Orton interjected for all cheers' worth.

"Randy, do you have any idea how off track, or how late, you are with that comment?" Lita asked, leading to surprised groans from the audience. "So while you contemplate on how your little girlfriend can possibly get out of this one, there's another Evolution title that's about to change hands this week. In fact, there's an Evolution title getting ready to change hands tonight. (what?) Just one question, Ric: how long's it been since you've defended your Intercontinental Title? No, I have a better question: how long has it been since you had your last match?"

"So, Lita. Go ahead and tell me. Who is it?" Ric asked.

"Let's just say, that he's an old friend of ours," Lita answered.

"An old friend of yours? Oh, wait. I just figured it out," Trips thought aloud. "It's the last member of Team E.C.K. The man whose coming to WWE changed the team to R.E.C.K. 'The Man Beast' Rhino! Oh, no, maybe it's not him. Maybe it's the guy who hasn't made one viable appearance for TNA since no-showing his pay-per-view match in December. The one guy that's needed to come back to complete the OMEGA picture that's basically formed by you, Matt, Shannon, and Gregory. That's right! Matt's crazy little brother, 'the Charismatic Enigma' Jeff Hardy! Both of which in the past, we've already kicked their ass!"

"Don't forget, Hunter, that Jeff Hardy pinned you for the Intercontinental Championship one time," Lita pointed out.

"Oh, you mean Ric's title? The one that he's defended seven times and held since he defeated Carlito back at Unforgiven on September 18th, including a match against your boyfriend Edge, while your boyfriend Edge's first reign lasted only one day, and he took that from and gave it right back to the chumpstain who our appearance has methodically exposed as nothing more than TNA's power hog. That title. Yeah, I get it," Trips countered.

"And here I thought you were the smart one, Hunter. But it seems all you know how to do is crack jokes and make wrong guesses," retorted the Walking Kiss of Death. "I wasn't talking about Rhino or Jeff Hardy. It's the other guy that led Edge and Christian in a three man stable."

While she was talking, the fans were getting chattery, because they saw something that apparently none of the people here saw. As it turns out, there was someone, a figure in all black and shades, behind the Intercontinental Champion Ric Flair. Lita jerked her head in his direction, but none of the group had yet to turn around before this person bit Ric in his neck! Once he let go, he then proceeded to take off his shades, then let out a somewhat hoarse sounding scream as the Evolution members all looked at him. At that point in time, they saw that it was Gangrel! The Evolutioners looked back and forth from a smiling Lita to Gangrel as the Vampire Warrior's music came on, the fans screaming at the scene. It was going to be Ric Flair vs. Gangrel for the Intercontinental Championship! Meanwhile, Ric was bleeding through two small holes in his neck.

About 25 minutes later, Evolution was inside their locker room, not feeling good about what just happened.

"Ric, you alright?" Trips asked.

"Ow! Damn! Somebody get a bandied so I don't pass out!" Ric instructed in a small panic.

"You can't possibly have to wrestle this Intercontinental Title match now," Randy declared.

"For some reason, Randy, I think he's still gonna have to go through with this," Batista corrected him. "And I think we both know what that reason is."

"That General Manager son of a bitch. Shane McMahon," Randy answered.

"Somebody mention my name?" a voice sounded off. Evolution looked to see that it was Shane.

"So, Shane-O-Mac. Come to make our lives a living hell?" Triple H guessed.

"Actually, I think I can help you out," Shane explained. "See, that match against Gangrel? It's not gonna be tonight. It's gonna be Friday night on Smackdown."

"What are you talking about?" a curious Batista asked.

"Mick Foley and I pretty much figured that Gangrel was going to try to do something to gain a pre match advantage. We decided that if he does, the match gets moved to Smackdown," Shane informed them. "And since that's what happened, all you have to worry about is the 6-man match against Team E.C.K. Well, that's it. Good luck to you, gentlemen." As Shane walked out, Evolution looked at him with smiles of relief.

Later tonight, we could see Edge and Lita, with Gangrel and Christian Cage, in their locker room. Edge was sitting on a steel chair, Lita was standing behind and above him massaging him, Christian was standing a few feet in front of Edge, and Gangrel was sitting on a bench.

"Funny how things just suddenly come full circle, huh babe?" Lita asked her boyfriend.

"Yeah, and Gangrel? Good job not trying to make me study your ways again," Edge said, a small ode to the Vampire Warrior's restraint from reusing his former teachings to E&C.

"Yeah, I learned after your ridiculous shortstackedness when it comes to the ways of the vampire goth never to allow you or Christian to learn under me again," Gangrel pointed out in a huff of disappointment. "I gave you guys the opportunity to roam free, to literally be vampires out there. I was even going to consider giving you the same surgery I got on my teeth, giving you the legal weapon you always needed. But you were always more interested in starting your 'Dynasty of Awesomeness' than continuing underneath me."

"No, ya thinK?" Christian asked. "I had to have that bored, tired look on my face all the time when I served under your ass. I destroyed the physical quality of my face being part of that stuff. And last I recall, we won seven tag team titles after we broke off from your Brood?"

"Oh, shut up," Gangrel pouted.

"But hey, don't worry, you're still good with us, man. You're the guy that first brought us to the dance, I can't forget about that," Christian said.

"C. Cage, calm down. We've gotta show Evolution tonight that they can't mess with the two greatest Superstars in this business today; Hard Impact, the Suicide Blondes, Edge and Christian Cage," Edge said, reminding his friend of their objective tonight. It was just at that point that Kurt Angle burst into the room, bringing the crowd at the arena to cheers.

"Yeah!" Kurt came in, yelling out his new favorite word. You could see the steel-looking black mouthpiece he had on. "I'm ready to deliver an E.C.K. style beatdown on Evolution tonight! Yeah!"

"Hey… Kurt, I think you're coming a little too attached to that word," Christian jested. Angle took off his mouthpiece and had a moment of incredulously staring at Christian, after which he told him to shut up.

"Lookie here, lookie here," Lita said in an elevated voice. "Awesomeness, Charisma, and Olympia. All in one, for the first time since all four members of R.E.C.K. met up at the 2001 King of the Ring."

"Don't remind me. I don't want a reason to kick Edge and Christian's asses instead of my real opponents tonight, especially since a win can get me closer to the World Heavyweight Championship," Kurt instructed her. "But hey, Lita, you wanna know how you can be helpful? How about you come over here and slap me in the face one right quick, huh?"

Right there, she stopped massaging her boyfriend's chest and looked his bald partner with confusion written all over her face. "Wait, you want me to come over there and slap you?" she finally asked.

"Yeah. I could use a little motivation," Kurt began to explain in detail. "Usually, I'd get the makeup lady or So Cal Val to do it whenever she comes by, but since I'm face to face with the Walking Kiss of Death herself, a small break from routine can't be all that bad." When he heard Christian laugh about that comment, Kurt looked at Christian and turned to him, saying, "You know you've got some charisma issues, right?"

"So, being slapped by women gives you motivation?" Gangrel asked, taking off his shades in awaiting for the answer. Even he was befuddled by this notion.

"It serves as a… good insult for me to respond to," Kurt clarified. Within microseconds, he was slapped hard in the face by Lita. After a few seconds, he finally turned his head to face her, and she had a confident smirk on her face. After she asked him if he was happy, he responded with a loud "YEAH!" and put his mouthpiece back on, then left the locker room. Edge finally stood up, as did Gangrel.

"Hey, Grel. Watch our backs, alright?" Edge said, as he, Christian, and Lita began turning to leave.

"Right," Gangrel replied nonchalantly.

"Time to completely reek of awesomeness, with the Rated R Charisma that only Edge and Christian can present to professional wrestling," Christian boasted.

"Great. Next thing you know, you're gonna interrupt me drinking my bloodwine to tell me that sodas rule," Gangrel pouted.

"Edge and Christian have both been gracious enough not to call you a chumpstain, but if you want me to, be my guest," Lita threatened him, posting a mischievous smile on her face.

"Whatever," Gangrel huffed as Lita left with Edge and Christian.

Come main event time, which was a mere five minutes later, Randy Orton's music came on, and the NWA Heavyweight Champion came out to a mixed reception of cheers and jeers. He did his pose in the usual spots, feeling cocky as usual. Batista came out, hyped as usual, going to both sides of the stage before setting the stage guns. He was cheered for highly, and he did his muscular pose at three of the turnbuckles before his music died down and a new music theme came up, starting with the words, "Behold the king, the King of Kings." The fans cheered as they realized that this was Triple H's new entrance music. The Game came out, standing at the stage with that water bottle in his hands. Fans cheered during his entrance out of respect for him. After a few seconds, he did the drinking and spitting out thing, then walked on, continuing his entrance about the same way, except skipping the drink and spit redo on the apron facing the main camera. Edge's music came and his entrance went about the usual way with the smoke, and posing with Lita, and raising his arms in self proclaiming glory on the turnbuckle, and not getting many cheers. Unlike his buddy Christian Cage, whose entrance consisted of pointing kisses to the Peeps all the while as usual, and Kurt Angle, who came out in the fired up, firework bursting fashion which usually accompanies his activity in the ring and his entrance these days.

Off the entrances, the bell rings and we are ready for action. Team E.C.K. determined amongst themselves that Edge will begin the match, while Batista has already decided to go up on the bar for his team. Lita left the area under her boyfriend's caution that this may not be the best spot for her to be in. The two locked up to begin the action, but Edge broke that grapple almost immediately with a rake to the eye, earning immediate and ignored admonishment from the referee as he fisted away on Batista in the corner. Batista, though, managed to push Edge away. The Rated R Superstar tried to get right back on him, but Batista sidestepped, getting Edge in the corner. Batista took advantage by thrusting his shoulders into Edge a few times, but Edge finally got on the second rope and escaped over the Animal. The two looked at one another almost impressed. Batista, though, pointed to Kurt Angle, showing that he wanted the Olympic Gold Medalist in the ring. Edge looked at Kurt, then shouted at Batista, as if to say "You want him? You got him!" Finally, Edge tagged in Kurt Angle, after which the Olympic Gold Medalist entered the ring.

Angle and Batista finally locked up in the ring, and Batista bullied Kurt into the corner. The referee began his five count, and Batista made a clean break. He came over to Kurt to try to deal more damage, but Angle sidestepepd and turned the tables on Batista, cornering the Animal instead. Kurt got off on a tear of right hands, which he eventually relented from when Batista went down. Kurt tagged in Christian, who ran at the sitting Batista and dropkicked his face into the bottom turnbuckle! With that piece of momentum inset, Captain Charisma thumped his chest to his peeps a couple of times. However, he could see Angle telling him to tag him back in, and Christian did so, especially so he could continue to chill with his boy Edge at the apron. Angle went back on the attack, as well as gave it new direction. He stomped on Batista's leg a couple of times, then got in a side leglock, which Batista fought out of with the other leg, which was not being worked on. Batista finally got up, but not before Angle could dropkick the back of his calf, knocking him back down on his back. Kurt brought Batista to his corner, then left the ring instead of tagging in either Edge or Christian. He wrapped both Batista's legs around the ring post in an inverted Figure Four, then in the midst of the ring out count, let go and rammed one of the legs straight into the post, causing him to favor it in pain. He got back in the ring before he could get counted out, and the referee got on his case, allowing Edge to attack the other leg using the post. Batista was officially a wounded monster, unable to stand on physical strength alone. Angle watched, though, as Batista tried to use the ropes and will himself to his feet. He did so, but not before Angle tried - and successfully executed! - a German suplex on Batista! Angle went for a cover. 1… 2… Batista kicked out. Angle then picked up Batista and tried to irishwhip him, but Big Dave exerted his power and did not let momentum carry him anywhere. He countered, and irishwhipped Angle into the Evolution corner, after which he tagged in Triple H.

Trips ran his knee into Angle's chest a couple of times, forcing down the Olympian. Once seated, Trips stomped Angle's chest a couple of times and used his knee to press on the head of his Olympic opponent. Trips picked up Angle and dragged him by the head to the turnbuckle, then shoved Kurt's head into the post. Once Angle turned around and walked towards Trips, the Game kicked him in the gut to double him over, then got him with a jaw breaker via the knee. Trips then tagged in Randy Orton, who came down over the top of Angle and connected with a furious assault of forearms.

The egotist Orton posed to the crowd afterwards, and they didn't like it. _Quote Joey Styles: "That's exactly the problem with Randy Orton. He focuses too much on his self-proclaimed good looks and satisfying his own ego rather than getting the job done first."_ Christian Cage immediately got tired of him and tried to go into the ring, only resulting in a referee distraction. Trips came back in the ring, then picked up Angle. Trips and Randy set Kurt up for a double team vertical suplex, but Edge got in the ring and cut in mid-move by pushing the lifted Angle in the opposite direction, strongly enough for Kurt to reverse it into a double DDT! Edge turned around and saw Batista at the apron. He immediately left the ring into his team's corner, not wanting to get hit by the Animal. Once he got back on his team's apron, he told Christian to get back, and Captain Charisma said alright, retreating to the apron. Meanwhile, Kurt tried to turn over and begin crawling towards his partners' corner, an operation that did not succeed because while Triple H rolled out of the ring, Orton got up and dragged Kurt into the Evolution corner, where he tagged in Batista.

The Animal got into the ring, and hit Angle with a hard right hand knocking him down. Angle shook off the cobwebs and got right back up, Batista irishwhipped him, then greeted his return by trying to throw him out of the ring. However, Kurt skinned the cat and hung onto the ropes, then got back in as Batista tried to get himself a rest. Batista turned around, only to be met with a missile dropkick from Kurt Angle. Kurt took the opportunity to finally crawl over towards a cover, and he got to Christian Cage. As soon as Christian got into the ring, Triple H came in. Christian hit Trips with a right hand. Orton started to try coming on, but Christian pushed him into the security wall on the outside. Cage turned back to Trips and hit a clothesline. Trips got up, the Peep Man got behind him and crashed the back of Trips's head into his knee. He finally saw Batista and stopped right in his tracks. The Leviathan then slowly came towards Cage, who then finally tried a missile dropkick on him. Batista fell back, but only used that to deflect off the ropes and hit Cage with a tough clothesline. Edge suddenly dashed into the ring after Batista, lost his balance, and took a clothesline of his own. Batista took Kurt and threw him by the head over the apron into the ring. Randy Orton tried to come in the ring, stalking away at Kurt Angle, who he knew would get up. He did so, and Randy lunged at him, but Kurt back tossed him over the top rope. Batista sent Angle over the top and out now.

Edge and Christian now both got up, and the seemed headed to give Batista a double team clothesline over the top, but things got bad for E&C when Batista ducked the clothesline, then ran off the rope to hit a leaping double clothesline on Edge and Christian! Batista then got up, and picked up Edge, then sent him over the top. This allowed Christian to get up and attempt an Unprettier, which Batista countered by shoving Christian away. Unfortunately for the situation, Batista shoved Cage into the referee. Triple H and Batista then looked at each other, and Trips put that trademark smile on his face. Batista put it back on his own face, and many fans echoed that sentiment as well, cheering the scene before them. Batista then tagged in Triple H (as if it even mattered, and they both went to the outside and checked under the ring for something. Each man came out with a sledgehammer. As fans cheered on two different scenes, both men went into the ring to surround Christian Cage, ready to splat him with a double "Con-sledgehammer-to", until Batista felt some kind of liquid coming at the back of his head. It shook him a bit, causing him to drop the hammer. He turned around and saw that it was… Gangrel! He just spat his bloodwine to the back of Batista's head! This embarrassing situation enraged Big Dave to the point of wanting to seriously kick Gangrel's ass. Christian saw the situation, and took advantage well enough by hitting Triple H square in the face, staggering him back a little bit. Edge came into the ring, and he shoved Trips into the corner and seated him on the top rope post. Christian then hopped onto Edge's shoulder, and set Triple H up for a vertical superplex. Christian finally lifted Trips into the air for the superplex, which Edge stayed under by falling back; this actually was the stack superplex which they made famous!

Meanwhile, Gangrel was still trying to beg off Batista, who had him in the corner by now. Finally, Ric Flair made his way into the ring, suit coat off, and he hit Gangrel with a flurry of lefts and rights, causing the Vampire Warrior to fall and begin to flee. Flair caught his leg as he tried to escape the ring, and he pulled him back and turned him over, then set in and hit the Figure Four leglock! Kurt Angle got back up and reentered the ring, and Batista saw him. Batista tried to lunge for a clothesline, but Kurt Angle ducked, got behind him, and tripped him up from behind, holding onto the leg and locking in the Ankle Lock! Flair let go of the Figure 4, broke up the Ankle Lock with a stomp to Angle, and took a Spear from Edge!

Christian then got up. He and Edge then looked at each other. They went to the outside and got Orton from there into the ring. Then, they got on the apron and merely stood there. The Legend Killer got on his feet, but was quite dizzy, and walked backwards straight towards them. When he finally turned around, he was right in front of them, and they hooked his arms in for a double team suplex to the outside! E&C re-entered the ring to a huge pop as they smiled. Edge then pointed to Batista. Christian picked him up, and locked his arms in the beginning position for the Unprettier. However, he just held him there. Edge measured away at Batista, making sure he knew exactly when to pounce. Finally, after a couple of seconds, Christian had him perfectly locked in position, and Edge made the charge. Unfortunately for Edge and Christian's sakes, Batista broke out of the grip and sidestepped him, causing Edge to Spear Christian! What's worse, Captain Charisma's head bounced off the bottom turnbuckle, making him completely unconscious!

Edge, realizing the horrible mistake he just did, came down to Christian and started pleading for his friend to get up. Lita came out to the ring, but went around to stay at ringside, choosing to stand down there rather than get up into the ring, which was scattered with bodies. She could be noted as having equal concern for Christian. However, Kurt Angle got up, and he noticed that Edge was crouched and talking in front of a downed Christian Cage, and Lita was standing in front of them at ringside with a shocked and/or worried expression on her face. He then tapped Edge on the shoulder, causing him to quickly jerk around and hit him square in the face. Edge again looked and saw that he made a mistake. However, this one was of dire consequence, as Angle got up and slapped Edge in the face! Edge's face soon began to seethe, and within seconds, the Rated R Superstar was yelling in Kurt's face, and it had a little something to do with Christian. Edge and Angle finally went at it exchanging right hands. The team had finally unraveled. Quote Joey Styles: _"I knew these two couldn't work together for long! Now we're seeing what Edge and Angle really think of each other!"_

Meanwhile, Kurt Angle had gained the advantage in this little fight of theirs, and he irishwhipped Edge in the process. When going off the ropes, the Rated R Superstar got tripped up, then dragged to the outside, by none other than his own girlfriend, Lita! Edge asked her what could possibly motivate her to do this, and she tried to explain that it was best he leave. He disagreed, especially with Christian laid out unconscious because of Edge's own error. Randy Orton, meanwhile, just got up, and took advantage on the outside, looking at Edge and Lita arguing on the outside. By the time Lita convinced Edge to leave and started dragging him away, they wound up trying - and failing - to walk by a chair-wielding Orton without Edge getting splacked in the head with it. Angle turned around and walked to that area to see what was up, and ended up getting chaired by Orton himself. He didn't fall down, but instead dizzily walked right into Triple H, who kicked him in the midsection, set him under, and hit the Pedigree on him! Triple H covered Angle, the ref was still out, but Randy and Batista had a solution to that. Just like Randy Orton did at the Royal Rumble, and at the Legend Killer's instruction, Batista took the referee's hand and with it counted the 1, 2, 3!

"Here are your winners, the NWA Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton, the WWE Heavyweight Champion Triple H, and the World Heavyweight Champion Batista!"

The Evolution music came on, and all three in-match members stood tall with their hands raised in victory. Batista noted Ric Flair and picked him up, setting him on the turnbuckle to be more comfortable. Then, a similar theme, "The Time Is Now", came on, arousing various reactions from so many people in the crowd. John Cena then came out, flanked by Konnan, Apolo, Machete and Homicide; the Latin American Exchange. However, rather than go in and just seek out a fight, Cena stayed at the stage.

"Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo! Looks to me like we got a little victory fest goin' on here, huh? I see that Evolution's winnin' their match, we be winnin' our matches, (Cena and Konnan defeated Chavo Guerrero and Rob Van Dam earlier tonight) and it's just one big happy match-winnin' family up in here!" Cena jested slightly, this statement being received well amongst the fans. "But, Triple H, I hope you and your boys here don't get too happy-go-lucky with this shindig, cause you won't be enjoyin' it that much longer, homey. (boo.) Y'see, I know your little princess is coming back on Smackdown this Friday night! I know she's givin' Lita a Women's Championship match on Smackdown this Friday night! And I also know that she expects to see none of my girlfriend Torrie Wilson on Smackdown this Friday night. But the fact is, homey; Torrie's lookin' for another title shot, one in which she can finally beat, Maria's, soft, little, ass!"

"Hey, hey, John Cena, gimme a sec here!" Batista cut in, having acquired a microphone in the midst of Cena's talking. The fans finally were able to engage in cheers of relief. "Hey, don't I have a say in this? Hey, Cena, listen up. I got an idea for ya! How about, you take that thug life chain and shove inside either your renegade hip hop wannabe mouth, or your fake street beating insurgent ass?"

"I think you mighta missed some'n here. See, I ain't no wannabe, and I ain't no fake. I'm the Untouchable Chain Gang Leader, the Doctor of Thuganomics, the Franchise, John Cena!" he shouted out, leading to boos. "And if you really think I'm a fake, look who I got behind me. With the K-Dawg, the Notorious 187, Machete the Trappin' Vega, and 'El Gran' Apolo, the Latin American Exchange, I AM untouchable! (boo!) But that brings it back to… y'know. Torrie Wilson. My girl. The one who plans on takin' Maria's Women's Title away from her. Here's how it's goin' down, peoples. Friday Night on Smackdown, there's gon' be a good few people I know, with plans to join the Chain Gang as well. The fact, they're either gon' kidnap Maria before the match, or screw her out the title, whichever one comes first. See, your girl might be back from her little scare with the Undertaker, but she ain't gon' be back in full form. Trust me on that."

"Who the hell is it that's gonna come in the middle of my way to join your ass?" Triple H immediately demanded.

"I ain't gon' tell you who to jump. You figure it out. Oh, and by the way, good luck with that, and peace out, bitches!" Cena shouted.

"Hola le! Arriba la raza!" Konnan shouted on the microphone right after that, leading to the LAX music coming on. The group of thugs all left back to the backstage area, and the four Evolutioners in the ring all looked at one another, beginning to assume the worst, and wondering what the hell they are going to do in the meantime. Hopefully, Maria was watching, because she was going to have a long couple of days if she didn't. Randy Orton, who showed to be visibly upset as much as anyone, banged his hands on the top turnbuckle nearest to him a couple of times. The show went off the air with LAX's music and the frustrated Evolution.

_a/n: Well, ladies and gentlemen, I have finally gotten back to work with this story. I enjoyed writing this match, almost as much as I enjoyed Captain R Superstar's match at WrestleMania 23. My only irk is that Edge wasn't in on the moment where Christian leaves, as he would have meant more important than Tyson Tomko, but that's just the way I would've written it, not the way Captain R did write it. Besides, if everything happened as I expected or wanted, I'd probably stop expecting or wanting. And, at least until heaven, expecting and wanting are both important parts of life._

_But that doesn't excuse my unreasonable conduct in Chapter 19 of this story. I was pretty much a real jerk back there, and I think I might have tuned out some Orton/Cena fans that were reading this before, despite the fact that both guys (though not in pairings) have important roles within at least part of the story. (Well, actually, RKO is one of the characters that _is_ the story) But again, I want to stress the point that I'm sorry for the way I embarrassed us all. And this isn't coming from an agent, unlike a lot of those sports apologies, including the one that pretty much killed T.O.'s last chances of staying with the Eagles._

_Now that this spell is behind us all, we can focus on the better things, which are a) that I reek of awesomeness, b) that I'm back to work on this story and so many other things, and c) that this is the spot where things roll as they please as long as the people remain for each roll! But let me stop rambling on about this stuff, because I want to get to work on the next chapter as soon as possible. So, peace out, my peeps!_

_-P. Dizzle_


End file.
